


A Pokemon OC-Tober

by Apharine



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Anniversary, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Father Figures, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hiking, Kissing, M/M, Multi, World Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:47:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26764555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apharine/pseuds/Apharine
Summary: A compilation of daily prompt fills from OC-Growth-and-Development's OC-Tober challenge!  I've opened this challenge up to the Pokemon OC community, and will be writing for a different person's OC and/or pairing!  Details on daily prompt, OCs, and characters will be listed on each chapter.
Relationships: Kabu (Pokemon)/Original Female Character(s), Kabu/Original Pokemon Trainer(s)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 24





	1. Sunrise (Kana/Kabu)

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 Prompt: Sunrise  
> Pairing: Kana (my OC lol)/Kabu  
> Rating: Gen  
> Warnings: None  
> When Kana wins a big race, but fears related to her future performance start to bubble up within her, Kabu has a suggestion to help.  
> Kana is my OC! If you're interested in learning more about her, check out my Tumblr or Twitter, where I go by the same handle as here.

As ecstatic as Kana feels about winning first place for the women’s division Galarian Open - the biggest regional Rotom Rally race - she’s very much dreading the media rush that comes after. It hits practically immediately, of course, once she’s up on a podium with her gold trophy in hand and Gizmo, her beloved Rotom, zooming around her. Camera flash after camera flash pop in her vision until the blinding bursts of light - and the little black spots that dot her field of vision where they had once been - are all that she can see.

Kana takes a deep breath before stepping down from the podium, preparing for the onslaught.

“How does it feel to have won the Galarian Open?”

“You’ve been training for this for fifteen years - what words do you have for us?”

“Are you hoping to make it to the Tour de Kalos next year?”

Kana feels her heart clench at this - the Tour de Kalos, the ultimate inter-regional Rotom Rally title. Although she’s among the top women in Galar, a spot in the competition has eluded her year after year, and the world has clearly begun to notice.

Soon, the reporter voices overlap one another until they’re nearly indistinguishable. Kana’s sweaty from the race, her legs feel like noodles from exertion, and she wishes, more than anything, she could just answer two or three questions, and then be left alone to shower.

“One at a time, please,” she says instead, holding up a hand and putting on her best smile. It’s not so much for the formality of it all that she does this - but she knows she has at least _some_ fans here in Galar besides just her boyfriend and friends. She wants to put in an appearance for them, if nothing else. And then she’ll get to shower and celebrate with her loved ones, she reminds herself.

“How about you firzzt?” Gizmo asks, circling around the first reporter to have spoken to her - who is also the closest. He leans in and holds out his microphone.

“I, uh, guess this question is for the both of you,” he says, glancing over to Gizmo, who flies back beside Kana. “Can you tell us how it feels to have won the Galarian Open?” He asks again, and Kana says a silent prayer that all the questions she gets today will be this easy before beginning to talk.

* * *

The rest of the day feels like a blur - which is ironic, considering that every last minute of the Galarian Open had felt like an eternity for Kana as she and Gizmo had fought to keep their lead. Her reception from her friends is a flurry of hugs and cheers and quick photos nabbed to be put up on Pokegram to celebrate. The only clear thing that stands out is the deep kiss her boyfriend, Kabu, pulls her into as he lifts her off the ground by her waist and spins her around.

“I’m so proud of you,” he laughs, a sparkle in his eye, and Kana feels her heart swell with joy.

Once she’s showered, there’s another round of media attention, but she’s a little more reinvigorated now that she’s clean. Kana puts up with their questions until they lose interest in her in favor of the winner of the men’s division, and Kana reunites with her friends once more. After some more congratulations, the group takes Corviknight Taxis from Motostoke, where the Open had ended, into Hulbury for dinner at the Captain’s Table.

“Nessa and Missy made the reservations,” Milo explains cheerily as they walk in.

“What would you guys have done if I’d lost?” Kana asks teasingly.

“We still would have celebrated,” Kabu says easily, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. 

“It’s not every day your friend gets to compete in something as big as this!” Milo beams.

Dinner also passes in a whirlwind of joy and laughter, aided along by more than a couple toasts and rounds of drinks. After a couple hours that only feel like a half hour, Kana and Kabu are drifting out of the restaurant, saying farewells to their friends as they all call Corviknight Taxis for themselves.

Unsurprisingly, the paparazzi are waiting for them outside the restaurant, and pester everyone by snapping photos and asking questions. The Tour de Kalos comes up again, and Kana says something noncommittal, although her heart is pounding in her chest. What if she never makes it to the heights that everyone expects her to reach?

But nobody notices, and the questions keep coming. Kana realizes fairly quickly that she won’t get any rest until she’s in the air.

“Hey,” Kabu murmurs once they’re in their taxi together. He takes his hand in hers again, his warm gray eyes finding hers. “You look a little worn out.” He gives her an affectionate squeeze as he says the words, and a small smile spreads across Kana’s lips.

“I guess today’s starting to catch up with me,” Kana admits, leaning into her boyfriend’s strong shoulder. “It was wonderful, but between the long race and the media and everything, it’s been a lot.”

“I can imagine,” Kabu hums, his thumb rubbing back and forth over her hand in a reassuring way. “It was like that for me, too, after I nearly won the Champion title those couple of times.” An unreadable expression passes over his face for a brief moment before he smooths it out, and Kana squeezes his hand in return. Although those moments were years in the past, now, it still seems difficult for him to talk about. “I’m not sure which was more draining for me - the battles themselves, or all the attention from people afterwards.” He chuckles quietly, giving Kana’s hand another squeeze.

“Yeah,” Kana agrees with a yawn. “I know what you mean.”

“Mm,” Kabu sighs in response. A beat passes, and he shifts his weight a little, turning to Kana more. “Hey, would you - um - I don’t know, this might be a crazy idea,” he falters.

“Well, now I’m curious,” Kana laughs, sitting up and turning to look at Kabu better, too. A small smile pulls at his lips, and his dark grey hair shimmers in the deepening twilight.

“It’s just - there’s this place in the Wild Area I used to go to when I was younger, whether I was doing well in battles or not, and I’d watch the sunrise there. It kind of became a ritual for me, you know? Helped me clear my head and just feel reinvigorated.” He pauses, glancing at his girlfriend to see her response, and Kana nods encouragingly. “You’ve been training so hard for this, and I’m so proud of you for winning. But I know there’s been a lot of ups and downs for you along the way, and I kind of thought it might be nice for us to go there together and spend some quiet time enjoying the view.”

Kana’s smile grows.

“That sounds really lovely, Kabu,” she agrees. It definitely sounds better than a day in Motostoke, where peace and quiet would most likely be hard to find no matter where they went. “Just one question - how hard is it gonna be to get there? Because my legs are probably going to be toast tomorrow.”

Kabu laughs at this.

“We can take a taxi partway there,” he says. “It _is_ pretty out of the way. That’s why I’ve mostly switched to different routes for my runs, now. But if we fly just past the Giant’s Seat, the walk shouldn’t be bad. Though if you’d rather wait for a different day -”

“No,” Kana insists. “Tomorrow sounds perfect. What time do you want to go?”

“Well,” Kabu says. “Do you want to see the sunrise? Or should we go later?”

Kana pauses a moment, mulling it over and turning to look out the window of the taxi at the world below her. The last of the sunset glows on the horizon, but the world is otherwise shrouded in the impending twilight.

“If you used to go to see the sunrise there, I’d like to see it, too,” Kana finally decides, turning back to Kabu. “What time will we have to leave?”

“Ah,” Kabu says, and though she can’t tell for certain in the dimming light, she suspects there’s a slight blush on his cheeks. “That. Yes. Well - if we’re flying past the Giant’s Seat, and sunrise is around 6 nowadays…we could probably get away with leaving around 4?”

“Oh, Arceus,” Kana groans with a laugh, dropping her head back against the seat behind her. “Here I was, thinking my early training days would be done for a little while.”

“We could take a couple days, let you sleep,” Kabu offers.

Kana shrugs and shakes her head, still leaning against the seat.

“There’ll be time to sleep after, too,” she says. “Unless I do end up with enough points to make it to the Tour de Kalos.” She hears her voice grow a little bitter as she says the words, and frowns at this. But a moment later, another yawn escapes her, and Kabu drapes his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him.

“I think you will, this year,” he murmurs. “But if you want to leave that early, we’ll have to get you in bed straightaway, sleepyhead.” His voice takes on a playful element as he says the words, and Kana laughs.

“After all that biking? I won’t complain,” she grins, snuggling into Kabu’s shoulder a little more.

“Sounds good, bun,” he says, burying his nose in her hair.

* * *

To say that she felt a little dorky with an actual headlamp wrapped around her forehead would be an understatement, but at least she’s out here in the Wild Area, where no one else but Kabu will see it.

“Should be right over this way,” Kabu says, turning down a slight fork in the path. Kana’s admittedly surprised; in the pre-dawn grey, it was too dim for her to even have noticed the fork on her own. “We’ll have a slight climb through a thicket in a moment,” Kabu calls back to her; though he’s being careful to set a slow pace for his tired girlfriend, Kana can tell he’s still excited. She, on the other hand, is still a little drowsy, and had slept on Kabu’s shoulder for the entire duration of the taxi ride over.

A groan of a Pokemon somewhere not too far away draws Kana’s attention, and she turns to look for it, the beam of her headlamp sweeping over the ground. But she doesn’t see anything - hopefully, it was just something making a noise in its sleep - and she hurries after Kabu.

The older man is standing by an absolute tangle of weeds and shrubs and scraggly trees. When he pulls a branch back, to Kana’s amazement, there is actually a discernible - though thin - path through.

“After you, bun,” he says, ushering her in. “You doing okay?”

“I’m good,” she agrees. “Though I think I’d feel better if you lead the way. You’re more familiar with the path.”

“Okay,” Kabu nods, squeezing by her. He leads on, occasionally holding back a branch or two for Kana, making deft decisions about which way the path continued. It eventually becomes tough going; the scrub they’re pushing through grows dense enough to slow them down considerably, and Kana worries they’ve made a wrong turn somewhere.

But if there’s one thing she knows, it’s that she trusts Kabu. He’ll see them both through this somehow, even if it means doubling back and trying a different path.

Slowly, the world begins to lighten, a hazy lighter pre-dawn gray infiltrating through the scrub. And then, suddenly, the thicket ends as abruptly as it had started.

“Here we are,” Kabu announces, reaching up and flicking his headlamp off. Kana does the same; the sunrise is imminent, pink streaks starting to paint the sky. “You ready?” Kabu asks, extending one hand to Kana. His grey eyes sparkle gently, and there’s a soft smile on his lips.

“Ready,” Kana agrees, taking his hand, though she’s not entirely sure what she’s agreeing to. She only knows that she’d follow him anywhere.

Kabu walks side by side with her as he leads her away from the thicket, up a slight incline and towards a cliff edge. They stay far enough back from the edge to be safe, but the view the cliff offers of the Wild Area is simply staggering. Kana can see everything from the Giant’s Seat all the way out to the Watchtower and the Bridge Field. Hazy in the distance, Motostoke’s skyline is also easily recognizable, puffs of smoke and flickering lights dotting the cityscape.

“Wow,” Kana breathes, unable to tear her eyes away from the rolling fields and glimmering lakes, all painted a light pink under the sun.

“You like it?” Kabu asks eagerly.

“I love it,” Kana responds, finally turning to look at her boyfriend. He’s watching her, not the landscape before them, and the look in his eyes tells her that he finds her much more beautiful than anything else right now.

“Good,” Kabu murmurs, one hand coming up to cup Kana’s cheek. “I hoped you would. I love _you_ , Kana,” he says, and leans forward, touching his lips to hers in a brief, chaste kiss.

“I love you, too, Kabu,” Kana says, pulling Kabu in for another kiss. This time, they kiss more deeply, Kana’s mouth working against the soft warmth of her boyfriend’s lips. “This is just what I needed,” she adds as they both pull away for air.

“Good,” Kabu hums. “Let’s have a seat and enjoy the view, okay? And we should eat some of the food we’ve packed, too.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kana agrees. “Thanks for taking me here, Kabu. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever brought here,” Kabu admits, spreading out the windbreaker jacket he’d been wearing and taking a seat. He pats the ground next to him, and Kana sits beside him.

“Really? I’m honored,” Kana smiles.

“Just felt right to bring you here,” Kabu says, putting his arm around her shoulders. “I want to share all of me with you, bun, and this was a part of that.” Kana’s sure she’s blushing fiercely, an indescribable feeling welling up in her chest. In the distance, Pokemon are waking up for the day, flying from their roosts and beginning to move across the ground. “I know this might sound cheesy, but every day is a new start, full of endless inspiration and possibilities. There are thousands of lives out in the Wild Area, human and Pokemon alike, each living their own way. And there’s no set way that anyone has to live - no matter what your past achievements or expectations are or were. That’s what I love so much about this place. It reminds me that you’re free to be yourself, no matter what.”

Kana’s silent for a long moment.

“Thank you, Kabu,” she finally says. “I really do love you, you know.”

“I know,” he murmurs back. “I love you for all you are, too. You’ll never have to be more or achieve more to make me happy.”

As Kana and Kabu watch the brilliant sky light up with more colors, a flock of bird Pokemon soar in the distance, beating their wings as they reach new heights, content and free.


	2. Mercy (Father!Nanu & Nyla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 Prompt: Mercy  
> Characters: Father!Nanu and his daughter, Nyla  
> Rating: Gen  
> Warnings: None  
> After nineteen years, Nyla shows up in Nanu's life, and he realizes that even though she's nearly grown up, he still has plenty he can teach her.  
> Nyla is Jynx's OC, and she's Nanu's daughter who Nanu wasn't aware of until she came to his door, looking for her father! You can learn more about Nyla and see Jynx's work by checking out bluethealpha on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3. Jynx also has an art blog at bluethealpha-art on Tumblr!

The door to the Po Town Police Station creaks open, and Nanu turns just enough to let his eyes slide to the door. A little bit of rain spatters inside, and a moment later, his daughter, Nyla, steps through.

His daughter. Thinking those words still throws him for a loop - after all, he hadn’t known she’d existed for the full nineteen years she’d been alive, and now, here she is, a teenager just on the cusp of young adulthood who’s at least partially _him._

“Hey, Nyla,” he calls, covering up the mouthpiece of the landline telephone he’s talking on. Part of him finds it hard to use her name - he was always using nicknames, after all, but _girl_ doesn’t feel quite right for her, and neither does _kiddo._

“Hey,” she responds, raising one hand in hello. She’s a little wet and muddy from the perpetual rain, but it’s not an absolute downpour outside, so Nanu figures she’ll dry off soon enough. “Still on shift?”

Nanu frowns and hangs up the phone. The bastards in Malie City want to keep him on hold long enough about _their_ case that they had called _him_ for, they can call back. 

His kid’s home, and she takes priority.

“Nah, shift was over,” he checks his watch, “about fifteen minutes ago. How was your day?”

Shift’s never really over - he’s always a cop, even when he’s off-duty - but his kid doesn’t need to know that, just now. He wants her to think all his attention is on her.

“It was good,” Nyla says, a small smile coming to her lips as she walks up to the counter and leans against it. “I made it all the way out to Ula’ula’s Secluded Shore today to go see this black Palossand that everyone’s talking about. It really was made of black sand, too. Pretty cool.”

Nanu’s heart clenches a little at the mention of the Secluded Shore. He knows it’s not an easy place to get to - Arceus, how many rescue missions had he helped coordinate for overzealous Mantine Surfers, when that had become the cool spot for them to try to conquer fifteen years ago? But he also knows that Nyla isn’t incompetent. She may still be a child in his eyes, but she’d come all the way here, to Ula’ula, to find him on her own. He’d be foolish to try to restrict her freedom to come and go.

“Black sand, huh? Might be a shiny. Though I’ve heard sometimes they migrate from rare black sand beaches. Not sure if that makes them a shiny or just a product of their environment,” Nanu muses. Nyla blinks at him with her red eyes - which are also his red eyes, the same way that her nose is his nose. It’s uncanny, looking at her. And yet, it’s also a little…heartwarming. The thought that this brave, headstrong girl who seems made up of so many good things could come from him makes him more proud than he’d like to admit. Not that he knows her well yet. But still. “Well, I’m glad you had a good day. Come on back,” is all Nanu says, unsure how to tell her what he’s feeling. Instead, he simply opens the gate to the back end and living quarters of the station and gestures for her to come in.

“Yeah, I don’t know if it was a shiny or not,” Nyla shrugs. “People were being really good to it, though. There was this group of teenagers around my age that were keeping people from battling it or catching it. Said there were a bunch of them, and they were taking shifts for as long as it wanted to stay there.”

“Huh,” Nanu says, but his mind immediately wonders if the now-disbanded Team Skull had assigned themselves the role of Palossand Protector.

“How about you? Was your day okay?” Nyla asks as they walk to the living quarters of the station.

“Good enough,” Nanu says, bending to scoop up a Meowth who had been rubbing against his ankles while he walked. “It’s usually pretty quiet here on Ula’ula, you know. Makes for an easy job for me,” he says, giving Nyla a lopsided smile.

Nyla laughs a little at this, and Nanu can’t help but feel a little joy bubble up in his chest. Every time he says or does something that makes her happy, he feels like he’s just done something right.

“Well, that’s nice,” Nyla smiles.

“Yeah,” Nanu says, setting down the curious Meowth on the counter. “Hey, did you eat dinner already?” He asks, turning back to Nyla.

“Not yet,” she responds.

“Okay. I’m gonna feed these guys,” he says, gesturing at the gathering horde of Meowth. “And then we can sort out some dinner for us, too.”

“Sounds good,” Nyla agrees. “I’m gonna maybe go take a quick shower while you feed everyone? If that’s okay? I, um, got a little muddy out there,” she says, her voice tentative. When Nanu turns to look at her, her face is tense, a guarded look in her eyes - his eyes.

She looks rather like the Meowth he’d taken care of who had been abused. Like she expected some sort of punishment, and was waiting for it to come, while hoping it wouldn’t.

“Yeah, of course it’s okay, kiddo,” he says before he realizes what’s come out of his mouth.

“Kiddo?” Nyla laughs, all signs of nervousness suddenly gone from her.

“Well, you _are_ my kid,” Nanu grumbles, but another lopsided smirk is already pulling at his lips. “If you don’t want me to call you that -”

“No, it’s fine,” Nyla says. “But maybe, like, just once in a while? You’ll embarrass me otherwise.”

“That’s what dads are supposed to do, though, right?” Nanu grins.

“Oh, Arceus,” Nyla groans, though there’s a playful element to her tone of voice. “I’m just gonna go shower.”

Nanu bites his tongue from making any more quips as she leaves, instead going to find the Meowth food and dispersing it among the many, many food bowls that litter the station. He has to be a little careful as he walks, so many of his Pokemon push their way underfoot - except for Persian, who waits with refined dignity. Nanu feeds her last, and strokes her fluffy head for a long moment, thinking.

That look on Nyla’s face - there had been no mistaking it. She really had been expecting some sort of punishment or retaliation to come from him. For what? Getting muddy? Needing a shower already when she’d just taken one last night? Nanu’s not sure. What little he can pull out of her about her home life with her mother has been less-than-encouraging, though, and he stores this reaction away in some corner of his brain for whenever he can connect the dots fully.

He’s pretty sure he’s already discovered the truth, but best to be sure before talking to her about it.

* * *

“Hey, look at you,” Nanu says as Nyla reappears, changed into clean clothes. “No more mud.”

“Sorry,” Nyla mutters. “I hope I didn’t track any in -”

“You’re fine,” Nanu insists. “Don’t worry about it, Nyla. Anyway, our options are kind of limited for dinner. Gotta go grocery shopping and all. This is all we’ve got,” he says, holding up four different flavors of frozen TV dinners, plus one frozen pizza.

“Oooh,” Nyla hums, moving closer to leaf through the options.

Somehow, seeing Nyla here, looking at the food, makes Nanu realize that none of this is actually good for a young woman to eat. It’s fine if he wants to feed himself that garbage, but it suddenly becomes entirely different now that he’s responsible for Nyla. He wouldn’t feed it to Acerola, either, come to think of it - he always kept healthier food around for when she stopped by. Not that he had any of that on hand at the moment.

“Nah, don’t ooh at this junk,” Nanu grumbles, gathering it all up. “None of this is remotely healthy for you. Your brain is still maturing, or whatever. You need actual food with actual nutrients.”

“And this is, what, fake food?” Nyla says, raising one eyebrow.

Arceus, she’s got a little of his sarcastic streak.

“It’s not good for you,” he insists. “Besides, I’ve been meaning to take you out for dinner sometime. Some father-daughter bonding, you know?”

“Oh, yeah?” Nyla asks, head tilting in interest and eyes sparkling.

“Yeah,” Nanu says. “There’s this restaurant I love over in Malie City, if you’re up for going out again.”  
“Definitely!” His daughter agrees. “What kind of food do they serve?”

“Sushi, mostly. It’s kind of a fancy place, by the way. I don’t dress up or anything to go there, but some people do. If you wanted to, to feel like you fit in there more or whatever…” he trails off with a shrug.

“If you don’t bother, I won’t bother,” Nyla replies easily.

Arceus. She really is his kid, isn’t she?

* * *

Dinner at Sushi High Roller with Nyla is an overall enjoyable affair. She seems a bit intimidated, at first, by the atmosphere of the place, but soon brightens up when she sees how at ease and well-known Nanu is there. Nanu tells her to order absolutely anything she wants, and he’s at least a little glad for the way there’s no prices on the menu at a place as fancy as this.

He wouldn’t want her to try to pick out the cheapest thing, or feel guilty or indebted to him or whatever.

Nanu and Nyla talk through their appetizers and courses of meals, and talking with her feels surprisingly easy, at times. It’s like he’s known her her whole life, in a way.

Except, of course, he hasn’t. His chest clenches in anger at the knowledge that he’d missed out on so much with her. He’d never gotten to hold her as a baby to his chest, soothe her tiny tears or hold her head in support while he fed her with a bottle. He’d never gotten to hold her hand as she learned to walk, or help her catch her first Pokemon, or teach her how to ride a bike, or sneak chocolate under her door when she’d been upset after her first teenage heartbreak.

But she’s in his life now, he reminds himself, and that’s what matters. There will still be plenty of life milestones for him to enjoy with her.

“Hey,” Nanu says as dinner begins to wrap up. “Any chance you want to walk a little through the city and on the outskirts before we go home? Don’t know how much you’ve gotten to see of this area.” It’s the lamest excuse ever - if she can make it across the island all the way to the Secluded Shore safely, she’s probably seen plenty of the city and its outskirts. But Nanu isn’t willing to go home just yet. He wants to spend just a little more time with Nyla while he can.

“That would be nice,” Nyla agrees, and Nanu smiles, ducking his head while he pays the bill and asks for their leftovers to be bundled up in a take home bag.

* * *

Evening is settling in by the time they’re walking shoulder-to-shoulder on the city outskirts. The lights of Malie City twinkle in the distance, and a warm breeze blows in from the ocean.

“Tell me more about your mom,” Nanu says abruptly, because he’s been curious and because avoiding it any longer at this point is starting to seem just as suspicious as asking about her.

“Oh, um,” Nyla says, taken aback all the same. “What do you want to know?”

“Anything,” Nanu says honestly.

Then he hears it - faint as can be, but well-recognizable to his attuned ears. The faint, pained cry of a Meowth.

“Weeeelll,” Nyla says, drawing out the syllable. “Let’s just say there was a reason I left home -”

“Shh,” Nanu says, putting up one hand. Nyla’s eyes widen in confusion, but Nanu continues, “Did you hear that? It sounds like a Pokemon.”

The two of them pause in their tracks, listening intently.

There, in the distance, to their left somewhere, the cry comes again. 

Nanu’s head turns, and Nyla’s does, too. She’s heard it. 

Nanu leads the way slightly as they move towards the sound, pausing now and then to listen. Even when they draw closer, it’s still faint, and to Nanu’s practiced ears, communicates clearly the pain the Pokemon is in.

Finally, they approach an ornamental shrub, the sound being the loudest it’s been. Nanu shrugs off his cop jacket, holding it under one arm as he parts the branches gently. Nyla bends down to help.

“Do you think the Pokemon is hurt?” She asks.

But Nanu doesn’t get a chance to answer, because a small gray-and-brown furball launches itself out of the bush, latching onto Nyla’s arm. It sinks its teeth and claws into her, yowling as it digs away at any bit of skin it can find, clilmbing up her shoulder towards her neck.

“Ow! What the - get _off_ me!” She says, shoving the Pokemon off. It falls off her arm and lands on the ground with a thud, all its fur puffed up. It orients itself back to Nyla, arching its back and baring its teeth, and then launches itself at her again.

Nyla raises one hand to it, and Nanu finds himself darting in, scooping up the Meowth in one arm and catching his daughter’s wrist in the other.

“Don’t hit it,” he says firmly.

“It was going to attack me,” Nyla protests, holding her wounded arm to her chest. “It’s dangerous - I had to defend myself!”

“It’s not dangerous,” Nanu says, swaddling his cop jacket around it. The Meowth writhes and yowls in his grasp, but with the jacket holding it firm, it’s powerless to use its teeth or claws. “It’s hurt. Badly hurt. All that brown? That was matted blood, Nyla. It’s dying.”

The Meowth thrashes again, then realizes it isn’t about to win this battle. It goes limp in Nanu’s arms, giving out a plaintive mewl.

“I - I didn’t know,” Nyla stutters, taken aback.

“I know,” Nanu murmurs, sitting on the ground next to her. He needs to get this Meowth to trust him - to trust them - so he can bring it to a Pokemon Center. He knows from experience that just trying to strong-arm a Meowth all that distance will result in the little Pokemon putting up a fight again - and usually escaping his grasp, at some point. “A lot of times, when people - or Pokemon - are hurt, they lash out at whatever is around them. They might not even know what it is they’re lashing out at.”

“Right. Fight or flight, isn’t it? Survival instinct?” Nyla says.

“Yeah. This little Meowth had no way of knowing that you weren’t going to hurt it,” Nanu nods, stroking the little Meowth’s forehead. _Much like you didn’t know if I was going to try to hurt you, earlier today,_ Nanu thinks to himself, but doesn’t say anything. “And if you had hit it - who knows. That might have been too much for it.”

Little tears spring up in Nyla’s eyes.

“I - I was just afraid,” she whispers. “I wouldn’t ever want to -”

“I know,” Nanu murmurs. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just scratches,” Nyla nods, gesturing at her arm.

“I’m glad to hear it. Don’t beat yourself up about this, okay? Mercy in the face of fear can be the hardest thing to do. And it’s not always the safest choice, Nyla,” he adds, his mind flashing back to the worst moment of his life - when he’d shown mercy to an absolute monster, and lost a good partner - a good human being - because of it. “But it often is the right choice. Not always, mind you. But we should show mercy to the creatures that need us when we can.”

Nanu scoots a little closer to his daughter, settling his shoulder against hers. She reaches out for the Meowth, brushing one finger against its forehead. The Meowth coos in his arms, and Nanu wonders if this one had been domestic, at one point, based on how it’s responding to such gentle touches.

“Like you showed mercy to me,” Nyla murmurs. “Taking me in and getting to know me, even though I was afraid, in some ways.”

“You’re the bravest young woman I know, Nyla,” Nanu murmurs, and it’s the truth. “I’m honored to be your father.”

Tears overflow Nyla’s eyes at this, and Nanu hands the swaddled Meowth over to the young woman. She accepts the Pokemon, and holds it close to her chest. Nanu smiles at the sight and puts his arm around Nyla’s shoulders.

“We just need this little fluffball to trust us a little more before we go anywhere with it, okay? It’ll be easier if it’s not fighting us every step of the way,” Nanu explains.

“Oh, you know what would help?” Nyla asks, wiping her tears on her arm sleeve. “We could give it some of our leftover food. I’m sure this little Meowth would like seafood.”

“Good idea,” Nanu agrees, pulling out a little box from the take-home baggy. He’s pretty sure this will be the most expensive meal a Meowth has eaten on this side of Malie City, but he’s glad to hand the sashimi to Nyla. She offers it to the Pokemon, who sniffs it, then nibbles at it.

And then it begins to purr as it eats in her arms.

“There we are,” Nanu says, raising his eyes from the Meowth to his daughter’s face. She turns from the Meowth to look up at him, too, and he’s a little surprised to realize she’s smiling with joy even as tears continue to run down her cheeks. “I’m proud of you, Nyla. Now let’s get this little guy to a Pokemon Center, all right?” He asks, standing up and picking the bag up.

“All right,” Nyla acquiesces, standing herself, sidling close enough to her father to allow him to wrap his arm around her shoulders as they walk together along the path.

Yes, Nanu thinks to himself. He may have missed many firsts in Nyla’s life, but there’s still plenty he can offer her as her father.


	3. Youth (Riya x Steven Stone)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 Prompt: Youth  
> Characters: Steven Stone and Riya  
> Rating: Gen  
> Warnings: None  
> When Steven and Riya return to Dewford Town, it brings up a lot of memories for them - of both their time together, and of their respective childhoods, before they knew one another.  
> Riya is Mocha's OC, and it's actually Mocha's birthday today (in the States at least - I'm a little late in a different timezone, haha...)! Either way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! You can learn more about Riya and see Mocha's work by checking out her Twitter at shinyskarmorys!

If Riya’s honest with herself, she’s a little surprised Peeko still remembers her. But the little Wingull does, and she flits about Riya’s shoulders, chirping happily.

“Peeko missed you, I would daresay! A Pokemon never forgets who they owe their life to,” Mr. Briney grins, throwing a smile over his shoulder to Riya. 

“It’s been so long since I was here, I wondered if she would even recognize me,” Riya admits. By her side, her partner, Steven Stone, smiles, reaching up to put one finger out for the Wingull to step onto. Peeko chirps and hops onto her new roost. 

“I wondered the same,” Steven admits. On Riya’s other side, Wong, her Vaporeon, makes a cooing sound, though he’s busy looking at the ocean with a glimmer in his eyes.

“Your family has been friends with me for longer than you’ve been alive, Steven,” Mr. Briney laughs. “Peeko wouldn’t forget you. That I can assure you.” His ferryboat lurches as it hits an unexpected wave, and Mr. Briney turns once again, focusing back on the sea for a long moment. Riya grabs at her seat for balance, and Steven puts one protective arm around her. Peeko, for her part, flutters back to rest on Mr. Briney’s cap.

Riya had agreed to take the ferry partially out of nostalgia and partially so Steven could catch up with his old family friend - but now, with the sea so rough, she can’t help but wish that she had perhaps decided to just Fly over, instead.

“Lot of waves today, Mr. Briney,” Steven calls, holding Riya a little tighter still as the boat rides up a crest yet again, then crashes back down.

“Oh, I suppose there’s a few. But nothing this old seafaring man and his ship can’t handle,” Mr. Briney calls back. “Besides - once we get a little closer to Dewford, the island will shelter us from some of the waves inbound from the ocean at large. Say, what are you two doing going there, anyway?”

“Oh, just eager to do a little bit of spelunking in the caves around the area. I heard from a friend with similar interests to mine that there’s a previously-unexplored area of Granite Cave that seems geologically significant,” Steven says.

Riya snorts in laughter; no matter how many times she’s heard Steven say that - and it’s been a few times, in the last week or so - it still sounds a bit ridiculous.

“Mineral deposits indicate the possibility of a very rare form of stone,” Steven continues, sparing a sideways glance for Riya. His lips twitch up slightly at her amusement, but he keeps his voice even as he speaks. “So, of course, I had to go see for myself.”

“Of couse, of course,” Mr. Briney grins. “And the lady agreed to come along, is that it? Riya, are you interested in rare stones, as well?”

“They’re perfectly nice. There is always something kind of fun about seeing Steven discover what he’d call a ‘beautiful specimen’ out in the wild,” she admits, and this time, it’s Steven’s turn to snort in amusement. He’d always found that phrase funny, ever since she’d first used it on him the day they met. And, in fact, the day they met is quite a lot of the reason she’s coming along. “But actually, it’s the anniversary of the day we met tomorrow, and we thought it might be kind of nice to come back to where it all started to celebrate together, especially if Steven was already interested in coming out to check out his friend’s discovery.”

“Ahh, how romantic,” Mr. Briney smiles, keeping his eye on the sea. “I’m sure the day you met was a lovely affair, if it was out here. Surrounded by the sea and wind and sky…”

“Something like that,” Steven says quickly, exchanging a quick look with Riya. The two dissolve in quiet laughter as Mr. Briney carries on about the beauty of the land. Truthfully, there had been very little of the sweeping seascape involved in their meeting - Riya had fallen into Steven’s lap, quite literally, when she’d tripped in the dark and fallen down a shaft with a ladder in Granite Cave. Poor Wong had fallen, too, and he makes a grumbling noise of dissent with Mr. Briney’s interpretation, finally turning away from the sea.

Although Mr. Briney might have the wrong idea about how they met, he does seem to be mercifully correct about the ocean. As he’d predicted, the waves are slowly settling down in size, and the landmass that is Dewford Town is beginning to grow on the horizon. 

“Won’t be long now till we’re ashore,” Mr. Briney calls back. “Where are you two staying, by the way? Are you back at the hostel at Dewford Hall, Riya? Or taking your man somewhere more romantic?”

The memory of hearing the same catchy phrase repeated a thousand times per day rises to the surface of her brain, and Riya shudders.

“Oh, Arceus, no,” she insists. “We’re staying at this little bed and breakfast run by an older couple on the south side of the island. Hopefully that end is a smidge less trendy than the north,” Riya adds, and Mr. Briney roars in laughter.

“Ah, it can be a lot up there, can’t it? It boggles my mind how those people can keep up with all the ins and outs of whatever’s hip. Good people with good hearts, though,” he adds, and Riya smiles.

“They are. I wouldn’t have met Steven if they hadn’t given me a place to stay, originally,” she concedes. “But I’d rather be a bit out of date if it means I get to have more peace and quiet while I’m on the island this time.”

As Riya watches the horizon, she begins to be able to make out the specific features of Dewford Town. There’s the Pokemon Center, and the docks…

A surge of emotion hits her unexpectedly, and she turns a little to Steven.

“I’m…actually really happy to see this place again,” she admits.

“Me, too,” Steven agrees. “All the more happy to see it with you.” He presses a quick kiss to her forehead.

Beside her, Wong makes a chirp of excitement, darting to the other side of the boat to get a different view of the island.

“I think Wong’s happy, too,” Riya admits, and Wong turns to look over his shoulder to trill in agreement.

“Then if everyone’s happy, I’m glad we’re coming back here,” Steven grins, a sparkle in his eyes.

* * *

The bed and breakfast on the south end of the island is absolutely charming - and wonderfully quiet. The older man and woman who run the place are welcoming and kind, and show Steven and Riya to their room, which has a lovely view of the ocean and a small balcony.

“Dinner will be served around six,” the man says. “But otherwise, enjoy your evening! Things may be quiet down here, but there’s still plenty to do. The ocean is beautiful, and you’re right on the beach, after all!”

Steven and Riya don’t need more prompting; once they’re settled in to their room well enough, they change into bathing suits and hurry out to the beach, letting their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs. They respond with various levels of enthusiasm to the water - Wong, for his part, has been dying to get in, and rushes into the ocean, splashing about - but it’s obvious that they all enjoy stretching their legs and soaking up the sun very much. 

“I forgot how beautiful it is here,” Steven admits, wading out in the shallows of the sea until he’s about knee deep in the water.

“It is really lovely,” Riya agrees. “You know - it’s kind of funny. I remember when I was little, growing up in Littleroot Town, my idea of the world was so small. Do you know what I mean? Like, of course I knew about Petalburg, and all,” she says with a slight grimace. Her absent father, Norman, had put that city on the map for her at a young age. “But now that I’m older and I’ve seen so much of the world, it’s just…so wild to come back to a place like this, with such a different perspective on life.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. After all, you guys have, what, fifteen people in Littleroot?” Steven says teasingly.

“Don’t get cheeky with me,” Riya laughs, wading out to Steven and giving his ass a playful smack. Steven laughs, scooping her into an embrace. “I know you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. If I could go back and tell the younger me who was stuck in boarding school all the time how much of the world he’d see one day, and how much his perspective on life and people would change…I don’t know if I’d even believe myself. Being back here does make me realize how much things have changed since I met you,” he admits, then pulls Riya into a deep kiss. His lips are warm and a little salty from the ocean air, but Riya doesn’t mind; she kisses him back eagerly, passionately.

And then an absolute tumult of waves erupts over them, soaking them from head to toe. Riya and Steven flounder and stumble, but eventually fall in, overcome by the power of the waves. Fortunately, they’re not out far to start with, and are both able to sit up quickly, spluttering and rubbing the salt out of their eyes.

“What -” Riya starts, but a moment later, she realizes both Metagross and Aggron had decided to give the water a go. “Hey, you big lugs!” She laughs, splashing at her partner’s enormous Pokemon. “You almost drowned us!”

Aggron makes a playful growl - he knows Riya’s really just joking - and tries to splash water at her in return using his tail. Unfortunately, his aim is off and he’s much stronger than he thinks in the water, so he manages to hit Steven square in the chest, knocking him back underwater.

“Steven!” Riya squeals, a little concerned; that had looked kind of rough. But fortunately, he sits up again a moment later, laughing. Aggron makes an apologetic noise and begins to walk back towards his Trainer, but Steven holds up a hand.

“I’m all right, buddy,” he laughs. “But hey, why don’t you and your 400ish kilos of body weight stay out there for a minute? Probably safer for me,” he grins. 

“Steven, I’m so sorry -” Riya starts, though seeing that her partner isn’t truly hurt, she’s dissolving into giggles herself.

“It’s all right,” Steven waves her concern off, still chuckling himself. “I know you didn’t mean to make Aggron splash me.”

“And they say that move has no effect in battle,” Riya snorts, and Steven dissolves into overt laughter at this.

“Someone’s got that wrong, then!” He says between laughs. “You know, I think you might be the first Trainer in the world to have ever taught an Aggron Splash. I didn’t think it was known to be in their moveset before this.”

“Well, what can I say,” Riya grins. “I’m pretty talented.”

Steven’s eyes soften and he pulls her close, cupping her cheek in one hand.

“Yeah, you are,” he agrees and presses another kiss to her mouth.

* * *

The rest of the evening is an absolute ,enjoyable delight. Dinner at the B&B is delicious, with a surprising selection of foods to choose from - everything from fresh caught seafood to some Berry-based meals and even a pot of mainland Hoennese hotpot. Riya and Steven both eat to their heart’s - and stomach’s - content, then head up north on the island to see more of the town proper.

“We could stop in and see Brawly,” Steven offers. Riya shrugs, remembering how he’d beaten her badly during her first battle against him - she certainly didn’t hold the defeat against him, at this point, but she didn’t know the man well. But she knows that Steven’s been on at least decent terms with him for quite a while, so she doesn’t mind either way, and tells Steven so.

Catching up with Brawly is enjoyable; he’s been doing well, and is still as full of pep and spirit as ever. He congratulates both Riya and Steven on all their successes wholeheartedly, and somehow, the visit puts Riya in a good enough mood to want to stop in at Dewford Hall.

“They can be annoying,” she concedes. “But they did house me while I was here, so I’d at least like to say thank you.”

And she does, though she’s pretty sure the phrase “Non-stop Synchronize!” is going to be stuck in her head for the next few days.

Finally, with sunset impending, Riya and Steven make their way back down to their B&B, taking their shoes off and wading through the ankle-high water.

“What do you think the next big thing at Dewford Hall is going to be?” Steven asks, a little amused by the whole affair.

“I heard someone say _Cascoon bag_ quietly while staring at Pokegram,” Riya sighs. “So, maybe that?”

Steven grimaces.

“What’s a -”

“I don’t want to know,” Riya interrupts, shaking her head. Steven laughs. 

“Fair enough. So, for tomorrow - are you still okay with trying to get up to the Granite Cave bright and early?”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan to me,” she agrees. She knows Steven will want plenty of time to be able to investigate his friend’s findings. “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, what kind of stone does your friend think he’s found, anyway?”

“He’s pretty sure he’s found signs of a conglomerate of Dusk Stones in a diamond matrix,” Steven explains. “It’s pretty rare for Dusk Stones to be found at all, of course - but if they truly are embedded in the matrix he says they are, they’ll be quite a collectors’ item.”

“That sounds beautiful,” Riya hums.

“It will be, if he’s right,” Steven agrees.

By the time the pair make it back to their B&B, the sky is painted with deep oranges and pinks, all reflected by the shimmering ocean.

“Do you want to stay out just a little longer?” Steven asks. The brilliance of the world around him is reflected in his eyes, his hair limned by the beautiful twilight glow, and Riya’s breath is nearly taken away by how handsome he looks in that moment.

“I’d love to,” she agrees.

The pair stay on the beach until the sun sets and the stars and moon come out. The water grows chilly, and they move out of the ocean, instead stretching out on the beach and letting their Pokemon out once again. This time, there’s no rush to get in the water; all their respective team members are pretty content to curl up on the still-warm sand, stargazing with their Trainers.

“Where do you think we’ll go next?” Riya asks Steven. He takes her hand in his at this.

“I don’t know. Where would younger, Littleroot Town Riya have wanted to go next?” He asks, his voice deep and soothing. Riya smiles at this.

“Anywhere,” she says honestly.

* * *

Riya hadn’t expected to sleep well in a bed that wasn’t her own, but she had slept very soundly. Maybe it was the soothing beat of the ocean waves just outside their window, or the warmth of her partner in bed with her. Either way, she was surprised by how well-rested she felt by the time Steven’s alarm went off at dawn.

The B&B owners had warned them yesterday that they’d be eating breakfast alone, but had told them there should be plenty of options available for food in the refrigerator. Riya and Steven are both surprised, then, when they open the fridge to find two fully cooked breakfasts in two little bento-style boxes, each labeled with their names.

 _All you have to do is heat these up_ , one note continues. _Enjoy your day!_

“Oh, Arceus, that’s so sweet of them,” Riya says, genuinely touched.

“It is,” Steven admits, popping one of the boxes into the microwave at a time. They try to stay quiet and stop the microwave before the timer goes off, not wanting to wake their hosts.

The food is delicious, and Riya’s surprised to see that her waffle has even been cut into the shape of a Makuhita’s face.

“This is so cute, I almost feel bad eating it,” she admits. Beside her, Steven chuckles.

“It is really adorable. It kind of feels like we’re little kids again, eating breakfast that our parents made,” he admits. A moment of silence stretches out - Riya knows Steven definitely never ate a breakfast as cute as this made by his father by hand, and if she ever had one, it was made by her mother, not Norman.

“I wonder what it would have been like if we’d met as kids,” Riya says before she can even think about what she’s saying. Steven’s eyebrows raise in surprise, and his gaze meets hers.

Riya almost wonders if he’s going to point out how they never could have met, their lives had been so separate and restricted at that point. But instead, he smiles.

“I would have had the chance to fall in love with you all the sooner, then,” he responds easily.

Riya’s heart skips a beat at this.

“When did you get so smooth?” She teases him, hoping she can conceal how flustered she feels.

“I’m not trying to be smooth, Riya,” Steven says, still smiling A moment later, he ducks his head to eat some of his food, trying - and failing - to hide the blush that spreads across his cheeks. “Just telling you the truth. It would have been nice, to know you sooner.”

“Do you really think we still would have fallen in love?” Riya worries. “I was a different person back then -”

Steven raises his eyes again, his gaze locking with Riya’s. He shakes his head, then swallows a bite and speaks.

“I’m confident I would have fallen for you back then, too, Riya. Even if we didn’t meet when we did, and met in the future, I would have fallen in love with you then, too. Don’t you see? There’s just something about you that would draw me in, no matter what. I don’t know if I’d call it fate, or destiny, or whatever. Maybe it is. But I think it’s just _you_ , Riya. Who you are.”

Riya feels her cheeks heating up, and she’s a little speechless. Finally, she smiles and stammers out a thank you.

“You’re welcome,” Steven smiles. “But I think it’s for the best we met when we did. Any younger, and we would have been an unholy menace on the Hoenn region together. Our combined energy and youthful enthusiasm could not have been contained,” Steven laughs.

“Oh, that’s for certain,” Riya grins. “Personally, I’m glad we didn’t meet any later, too.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Steven asks. Riya reaches across the table and takes his hand in his.

“Because,” she says. “I never would want to give up even one minute of the time I do get with you.”

“Riya,” Steven breathes, squeezing her hand back. A moment later, they let go of one another and return to eating, both smiling happily.

After a few moments, Steven glances up again.

“Even though you nearly broke your back when you fell and met me?” He asks playfully.

“I did not nearly break my back!” Riya laughs.

“It was pretty bad,” Steven grins.

“I was up in, like, two seconds,” Riya challenges him teasingly. “That’s not nearly a broken back.”

“I guess not,” Steven concedes. “Oh, man, I just realized something.”

“What?” Riya asks, suddenly curious.

“You literally fell from above, and I didn’t even make a joke about falling from heaven or whatever.”

“ _Pfft_ ,” Riya laughs. “I wouldn’t have given you the time of day if you had.”

“Yes, you would have,” Steven teases, his foot finding hers under the table and giving it a playful nudge.

“You’re insufferable,” Riya beams, nudging him back.

“I know. I love you, you know. And I’m glad we met the way we did,” Steven says. Riya’s smile grows more at his words.

“I love you, too. And I’m glad we met the way we did, too,” she agrees. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


	4. Ambush (Rey/Piers)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 Prompt: Ambush  
> Characters: Rey and Piers  
> Rating: Teen  
> Warnings: None  
> Piers is just on the verge of setting off on his world tour, with his loving boyfriend in tow - or, at least, that's how things are supposed to go.  
> Rey belongs to @Bored_bunnii on Twitter - if you're interested in learning more about Rey, follow them there!

“Whoo! Yeah! Piers!” The crowd cheers.

“ _We love you!”_ Some girl in the stands shrieks.

Backstage, Rey smirks. Of _course_ they love Piers - but Rey also knows his boyfriend will completely ignore the remarks. He gets them at every show, and he always stays cool and composed, instead talking about some little story in between songs instead.

It’s amazing, the stage presence PIers can have, Rey considers. He’s completely in control of the situation. Rey’s baby Toxel, Amar, trills with interest in Rey’s arms, and Rey strokes his head reassuringly. 

“He’s got this, Mar-mar,” Rey murmurs.

“Hey, so, uh, this next song’s gonna be the last,” Piers says up on stage, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes. “I’ve saved it for the last on purpose, so you lot in the back stands better cheer me on!”

The crowd thunders in response to this, and Rey’s smirk grows. He’s seen this every night for the last three nights in a row, and it goes over every bit as well with the crowd each time.

“But actually,” Piers continues. “The truth is, I wrote this song for my boyfriend, Rey. He’s really an amazin’ guy. When he came into my life, everything was turned upside down, and that’s kinda what this song’s about. He’s backstage, so if you all wanna give -”

Piers doesn’t even have to finish his sentence before the crowd at Hammerlocke Stadium roars and screams. Rey’s eyebrows raise at this - though he’d watched his boyfriend play to a sold-out crowd in Hammerlocke as part of the kick-off to his world tour, Piers hadn’t mentioned this part before. Nor had he asked the crowd to cheer for Rey.

It’s actually…touching. Rey considers trying to catch a video of the moment for both himself and for Natsume, his little sister, but he’s too slow, too taken by surprise, and with Mar-mar in his arms, it’s all the harder. It’s hard, resisting the urge to photograph and capture each moment. Photography is in his soul, as much as being a Rescue Ranger was. But Piers had made him promise not to have his camera or phone out for this show, and to just enjoy the music. Whatever - he knows that there’ll be 100 different versions of it on Pokegram in the next twenty minutes, anyway. He can just use one of those to show Natsume.

“All right, all right,” Piers laughs, trying to settle the crowd down with a wave of his hand, though Rey can see he’s smiling from ear to ear. Rey can’t help but smile, too. “Well, as you’ve all probably heard, I’m from Spikemuth, so I’m going to be headin’ back there to play one last big show before takin’ off with the love of my life and leaving the Gym there to my little sister, Marnie. She’s amazin’, so I expect every last one of you to support her. Otherwise, you all know the deal. This is my last song. I don’t do encores - not with Pokemon, not with moves, and not with songs! So let’s go!”

If Rey thought the crowd had been loud before, he honestly has no words to describe how loud they are at this, the last of Piers’ proclamations. He almost wishes he had earplugs in - but only almost. Mar-mar, for his part, seems to love the noise, reaching his hands overhead and making happy trilling sounds.

Within moments, though, the crowd settles down as Piers’ band begins playing, and then his boyfriend’s voice rings out through the crowd, rich and lovely as ever. Rey closes his eyes and listens to the beauty of Piers’ singing.

* * *

“Hey, love,” Rey greets Piers the moment he steps backstage. As always, the crowd is thundering, demanding an encore. “You gonna give them what they want tonight?”

“Nah, babe,” Piers smirks, his long fingers cupping Rey’s chin. “I warned them. Like always. Their fault if they think I’m not tellin’ them the truth, or somethin’. Anyways. What’d you think of the show?” He asks earnestly.

“Ahh, it was the best you’ve put on,” Rey says honestly. “I know I’ve said it before, but you really are a siren in human form. Your voice is lovelier than a Meloetta’s. I should know - I’ve -”

Rey’s words are cut off as Piers plants a firm kiss on his lips, pulling him in by his chin. Rey feels his cheeks heat up, and he hears one of Piers’ band members wolf-whistle teasingly at them - but he relaxes into the kiss after a moment, moving his lips against his boyfriend’s. As difficult as showing affection for him can be, and as flustered as it can get him, he figures he owes Piers a good kiss after that show.

“You’ve met one,” Piers says, pulling back and smirking. “I know. You’ve told me maybe one or two or twenty times.”

“Yeah, ‘cause it’s true,” Rey smirks, shifting Mar-mar into just one arm. The Toxel complies, holding to him happily.

“Yeah, yeah,” Piers says, though Rey sees the way his cheeks are reddening, too. “Hey - I’m thinkin’ let’s just go deal with the media now, so we can get headin’ back to Spikemuth sooner than later, if that’s okay with you?”

“Oh, sure,” Rey shrugs. “It’s a pretty quick flight by Corviknight taxi, though - but if you’re tired -”

“Nah, it’s not that,” Piers says, moving to help his band, carrying his microphone and a floor switchboard out to the loading dock. Rey, for his part, grabs two heavy amplifiers, one in each hand, all while balancing Mar-mar in the crook of one elbow. He’s strong, so he’s happy to do his part to help out.

“So what is it?” He asks, following Piers.

“I…kind of thought maybe we could walk back to Spikemuth together. After all the hubbub of the last few days, I wanted to spend some time alone, you know? I know it’s late, though, so if you’d rather just fly -”

“No!” Rey interrupts, a bit quickly. “No, I’d love to walk. That sounds really nice, love. Besides, you know the dark doesn’t bother me,” he grins, flashing Piers a cheeky grin as he places the amplifiers into the back of a Corviknight taxi.

“Better not,” Piers says, giving Rey a smirk of his own. “After all, you’re dating the top Dark-type Trainer in Galar. Well - maybe second-top, if we consider that Marnie could probably kick my ass by now, and all.”

Both men laugh at this, and head back inside to grab some more equipment.

* * *

The taped-off area for the media and press is still bustling with reporters and paparazzos, despite the fact that the Stadium itself is nearly empty at this point. The crowd, for the most part, has realized that Piers meant it when he said no encores.

Rey and Piers approach the media area hand in hand - Piers’ idea, not Rey’s - and a flurry of camera flashes greet them.

Rey expects the usual overlapping cacophony of noise that the media produces as they all scramble to ask their own question, but to his surprise, there’s only one question in the air.

“Piers! Is this your boyfriend?”

“Is this Rey?”

“The man you wrote that last song for?”

Piers squeezes Rey’s hand encouragingly, then pulls him forward a little, putting his arm around Rey’s shoulders. The effect is somewhat humorous, considering that Rey is notably bulkier than Piers is.

“Yeah, this is my boyfriend, Rey. He’s the amazing man I wrote that song for,” Piers confirms.

“Tell us more about Rey,” a female reporter interjects, leaning in with her microphone. Piers smiles; he’s all too happy to oblige, though Rey feels his face heating up more and more with each passing second.

“Well, he’s brilliant, for starts. He was a Rescue Ranger, so you know he’s super strong and not afraid of anything. He’s a photographer now, and he’s helping me show the bright side of Spikemuth to the world.”

Rey doesn’t have a chance to get a word in sideways, and neither do the reporters. Piers seems perfectly happy to continue talking about Rey for the entirety of the usual time the press gets with him, and as embarrassing as it is, in a sense, it almost makes things easier for Rey, too.

Still, one thing rings through Rey’s head, as if on repeat - _he’s super strong and not afraid of anything_. That wasn’t entirely true. Rey had one fear, and he’s pretty sure that Piers doesn’t know it.

He’s terrified of anything happening to his boyfriend, of ever not being able to protect him.

* * *

The walk back to Spikemuth is surprisingly peaceful. The Route 7 bridge is nearly empty, and the two lovers take their time walking along, enjoying the quiet and star-gazing. Mar-mar sleeps soundly in Rey’s arms, and he lets Noir, his Duskull, out to enjoy the night, too. Piers lets Obstagoon out to keep an eye on the baby Pokemon, though Rey still keeps an eye out for him.

“Hey, I’ve been turning this new song idea around in my head,” Piers finally murmurs.

“Yeah? You wanna share what you’ve got so far with me?” Rey prompts. He can see a small smile pulling at Piers’ lips.

“All right,” he agrees, and begins to sing quietly. It’s so different than how he is up on stage, and Rey adores that he’s one of only a few people who get to see this side to Piers. “This is where I’m stuck,” Piers comments, before going through a couple renditions of a pre-chorus.

“Hmm,” Rey frowns. “What about - more like this?” He offers a slight variation on one of Piers’ themes, and his boyfriend frowns.

“That’s really close to what I want it to sound like. Maybe if I change the lyrics?”

By this point, the pair have stepped off the Route 7 bridge; the twinkling lights of the Route 9 Tunnel shimmer in the distance, just past a long stretch of field surrounded by forest.

“Noir, leave whatever-that-is alone,” Rey says, noticing that his Duskull appears unusually fascinated by something under a tree. It turns out to just be a candy wrapper, though, and Obstagoon bats it away, grumbling at Noir to come along.

And then, in the forest, he hears something large stumbling along.

“What was that?” He asks, dropping his voice and grabbing at Piers’ shoulder. The noise comes again - whatever is out in the woods, it’s loud, and it’s not afraid of being heard, even at this hour. That’s not an encouraging sign - usually only predators are that bold.

The distinct noise of at least two more large beings out in the woods comes, and Rey feels his jaw set. The only thing bolder than a large predator is a pack of large predators. Liepard are common enough in this area, and they’re terribly wiley things - and dangerous, when hungry. In fact, he’d seen something on the news just last week about how an Ace Trainer narrowly evaded being attacked by a pack of five Liepard late at night by Flying away on his Corviknight just in the nick of time.

The sounds all come again, and every one of Rey’s senses heighten as adrenaline surges through his body. A cry resounds, which is definitively that of a Liepard’s, and it’s followed up by another unearthly cry. It sounds almost human as it echoes through the area.

“Noir, Obstagoon, to us,” Rey hisses, and the Pokemon obey immediately. Obstagoon’s fur is raised; he knows something’s amiss, too. Rey returns Noir to his ball, needing one less body to potentially protect. He’d put Mar-mar away, too, if he could, but the little baby is stubborn and not used to being in a ball. He’d likely break out and make a worse scene for them than if he just kept holding onto him.

More noise from the forest. These things aren’t going away.

“Liepard?” Piers asks, sharp as ever. If he hadn’t been such a brilliant musician and Pokemon Trainer, he would have made a bloody good Ranger, in some ways. Rey nods sharply.

“Probably. We need to get out of the open. If they can see us but we can’t see them -”

“Right,” Piers agrees, leading the way to a grove of trees on the opposite end of the path through the trees. Rey follows willingly, keeping his body between the noises emanating from the woods on the other side of the path and his boyfriend.

But within twenty steps inside the grove, Piers trips over a tree root and falls, making an awful lot of noise and giving their position away immediately. Well, Rey figures, he might not be perfect Ranger material after all.

“Fuck,” Piers hisses, clutching at one hand. It’s bleeding, but it’s just a scrape - nothing a Potion can’t fix.

“C’mon, get up,” Rey murmurs, grabbing his boyfriend with his free arm and holding Mar-mar a little tighter with his other arm. He hoists Piers back to his feet, Obstagoon on Piers’ other side willingly helping.

“We should’ve just flown,” Piers grumbles. “This was a stupid idea. We’re going to be ambushed by hungry cats the day before my Spikemuth show, of all things.”

“We’re going to be fine,” Rey hisses. “You just keep walking.” He plants Mar-mar firmly in Piers’ arms, and gives him a little shove to get him going. Piers obliges, picking out a more careful path through the woods - and then freezes when he realizes Rey’s not behind him.

“Hey!” He hisses, turning just in time to see Rey step back out into the open.

“Oi!” Rey shouts, waving his arms overhead. “Whatever you are, come on out! I’m right here!”

“Rey!” Piers makes a strangled cry, feeling all the blood drain from his head. What was he _doing?_

A moment later, Mar-mar makes an anxious cry in his arms, too, and Piers realizes exactly what he’s doing.

He’s acting as bait to protect what he loves.

Piers feels his throat tighten up; what an idiot. He’s the strongest - or second-strongest - Dark-type Trainer in Galar and his boyfriend would sooner risk his life than see Piers or any of his incredibly tough Pokemon wind up hurt. A pack of Liepard could be fearsome, to be sure, and there’s no way they would all walk away unscathed, but Piers feels confident he can handle them and keep Mar-mar safe, too - especially with Rey’s help.

Apparently Obstagoon agrees, because he exchanges a quick look with Piers, and soon, the two are rushing out to join Rey.

“We’re all here!” Piers exclaims. “So show yourselves!”

A pause, then another loud rustling in the woods -

And a Liepard tumbles out. Rey and Piers’ hearts jump to their throats; they had been right.

And then, a moment later, Marnie tumbles out behind it.

“For the last time! Put that Purrloin _down_ , and I will take it to the Pokemon Center!” She calls, grabbing for whatever is in Liepard’s mouth. Natsume steps out of the forest behind her.

“So that sound over in the woods was just you two, then?” She asks, cool as a cucumber. Rey and Piers’ jaws both drop open.

“What - that noise was _you?!_ We thought we were about to be ambushed by a pack of hungry Liepard,” Rey says, shocked at the sight of their little sisters, together.

“Oi, Marn, what’re you doin’ here?” Piers asks, immediately going into older brother mode. “And what’re you making all that noise for?”

“Nice to see you, too,” Marnie says, finally scooping up the little Purrloin from Liepard’s jaws. The bigger cat had been carrying the kitten carefully by its ruff, Rey notes, and it’s in bad shape overall - clearly, it suffered an attack at the hands of something much larger than it. “It’s all a long story, but can we get this little girl to a Pokemon Center first, and tell you along the way?”

“Right,” Rey nods, his instinct for protection also taking over. “Let’s go.”

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” Piers summarizes as the two pairs of siblings sit under the flourescent lights of the Pokemon Center. “You both wanted to come greet me backstage after my last show in Hammerlocke, so you started walking over from Spikemuth and let some of your Pokemon out. Except after the Route 9 Tunnel, Liepard smelled something was off and found some fur tufts, and then led you on a wild chase for, like, how long?”

“About forty-five minutes,” Marnie grumbles.

“And then you found the Purrloin, injured,” Rey adds.

“And then Liepard _continued_ to lead us on a wild chase,” Natsume nods. “She kept stopping to lick at the injured baby, and wouldn’t let us get near.”

“And that’s what we heard?” Piers frowns. “You two goofs bumblin’ about in the forest?”

“Yeah. At least your boyfriend was partially right - it _was_ a Liepard. Just not a hungry horde,” Marnie says teasingly.

“You all _sounded_ like a horde, you’re so graceless” Rey grumbles. Across the table, Natsume laughs.

“We probably did. You guys sounded pretty bad, too. Freaked me out a minute,” she admits. “Though, what, exactly, is up with you?” She asks, rounding on Rey. “You go running out and try to be the big hero?”

“I -” Rey stutters, a bit taken aback. His throat tightens up again as he remembers the fear he’d felt, imagining what could have happened to Piers, to Mar-mar. "Well, yeah. I could never stand to see Piers hurt. Or Mar-mar, hurt. Or…either of you. All of you, really. Wild Pokemon can be incredibly strong and dangerous, and - none of you hav reallye seen what they can do to a person, when things go wrong -” his throat tightens up to the point that he can’t talk anymore, and he glances away.

A moment later, a gentle touch on his shoulder comes, and he turns to his boyfriend. Piers has his arm set around Rey’s shoulder, a gentle smile on the musician’s face. Then, Natsume reaches across the table and touches Rey’s hand, and Marnie does the same.

“Hey. What you did wasn’t your best idea, but I can understand why you did it. We all know you’d do it for any of us,” Piers says with a small laugh, and Natsume and Marnie both nod. “Tonight just confirmed it. You’ve got a big heart, Rey. We love you. All of us do.”

Natsume and Marnie both nod again in confirmation of Piers’ words.

Tears jump to Rey’s eyes, and he swats them away with one hand.

“I love you all, too. Just promise me you’ll never scare the daylights out of me like that again,” he says, turning to Marnie and Natsume.

“We make no promises,” Natsume grins. Beside her, Marnie nods.

“What else are little siblings for?”

Rey snorts, but smiles.

“Yeah, fair enough.”


	5. Beloved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 Prompt: Beloved  
> Characters: Raikichi and Piers  
> Rating: Teen  
> Warnings: Content warning for health difficulties of a baby after birth!  
> Raikichi had expected motherhood to be hard, but baby Runa's health is fragile, and everything is so much more difficult than she could have imagined - both emotionally and physically. Good thing Piers is by her side every step of the way.  
> Raikichi belongs to @Xiobbhan on Twitter, who goes by littleirishdruid on Tumblr. A lot of Raikichi's story is actually posted on their Tumblr so if you're interested in learning more about her, there's plenty of reading material there!

There are just so many tubes and lines, and it’s hard for Raikichi to make sense of all of them.

Especially when they’re all connected to the tiny body of her infant daughter.

“Runa,” she sings, keeping her voice low, so as not to wake up any of the other babies in the other incubators. “Little Runa, do you know how loved you are?”

Runa doesn’t stir; her pink face is turned towards the specialized lights attached to the top of the incubator. Lights which, Raikichi had been told, were meant to help with jaundice. She thinks that Runa’s coloring looks better today - she’s a little less yellow, and the way her tiny chest rises and falls with each breath seems to be a little stronger.

Though, Raikichi considers, maybe that was just her own wishful thinking.

Truthfully, the hum of the medical equipment is almost soothing to Raikichi’s extremely tired mind. Runa’s birth had been hard, and the ensuing stay in the NICU had been even harder. Though Raikichi was still being medically monitored, herself, she couldn’t bear to spend more time away from her daughter than she had to.

Wouldn’t any mother feel the same way? It’s only natural, Raikichi tells herself, even as she begins to drift off while sitting up.

A warm hand touches her shoulder, propping her up as she begins to slump over. She jolts awake at the touch, then turns, half expecting Piers.

But, she realizes, that’s impossible. He had to be in Spikemuth for part of the day today, wrapping up some loose ends before officially going on paternity leave.

“Careful, Raikichi,” Kabu says, his eyes full of concern. “We don’t need you falling asleep and hitting your head.”

“Hey, Uncle,” she responds, putting her hand on his and patting it gently. “I’m all right. Don’t worry about me.”

“Hmm,” Kabu hums, but doesn’t press the point any further. “How is my beloved grand-niece today?” He peers through the glass at Runa’s tiny frame, his grey eyes sweeping over the lines and tubes appraisingly, just as Raikichi’s had moments ago.

“She’s doing well. I’m told her fever is down, and I think her coloring looks better. Don’t you?” Raikichi asks, nearly holding her breath as she waits to be told that what she sees isn’t just her imagination.

Please, let it not be just my imagination, she prays silently.

“She does look a little more rosy. Less yellow,” Kabu nods. “And look - she’s moving her little legs. Kicking,” he notes, a smile crossing his lips. “She wasn’t doing that yesterday.”

He’s right, Raikichi realizes. The kicks aren’t strong - they’re hardly more than little flutters - but it’s something, and it’s new.

The realization that Runa had hardly moved on her own other than to cry hits Raikichi like a stampeding Tauros, and she finds herself blinking back tears. 

“You’re right, Uncle. That’s really great,” she agrees, trying to stay strong. But a moment later, the tears overtake her, and she sniffles, wiping at her eyes.

Internally, Raikichi is almost angry at herself. She needs to be strong for little Runa, not break down and cry. Crying wouldn’t _do_ anything, anyway. Raikichi feels her hands ball up into fists, and she wipes away still more tears.

Kabu’s arm wraps around her shoulders, pulling her smaller frame into his side.

“Shh,” he soothes her, rocking side to side just a little. “Shh, it’s going to be all right. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“N-no,” Raikichi stammers, wiping away the last of her tears. “It’s just - it’s so hard seeing her there, you know? I wish she didn’t have to go through this. I wish she were healthy. I love her so much, and I just…if I could take away her pain somehow, if I could make a wish that she could be healthy and I could be the one that was sick, I’d do it in a heartbeat for her.”

Kabu’s silent for a long moment.

“I’ve never been a father,” he finally murmurs. “But I’d like to think I could understand that kind of love, anyway. I’ve felt it for you more often than you might think, Raikichi, with all you’ve gone through in your young life. You have no idea how many times I’ve laid awake and thought to myself that my own niece - so young - shouldn’t have to suffer the way you have.” Raikichi’s tears threaten to come back again at this open admission, but this time, she swallows them down - though she does realize her own hand has automatically drifted up to her face, to touch at her scars. “But what you’ve been through has made you strong, and it’s made you your own person. If Runa is anything like you, the same will be true of her, too. And besides - she’s got an amazing mom to rely on.”

Raikichi sniffles once more, and finally raises her eyes to meet Kabu’s.

“Thank you, Uncle,” she says. “I just need to keep in mind that she’s getting better and better every day.” 

“I’m glad to hear it. I can’t imagine how scary it must be, as a mother, to watch your daughter go through this. But I do know that the technology they use for this sort of thing has improved very significantly over the years, and Galar has some of the best technology in the world.” He pauses a moment, then adds playfully, “Well, besides Hoenn.”

Raikichi doesn’t rally to his playful teasing, though, and he frowns, the concentration lines in his forehead standing out even more.

“Yeah. I know you’re right, Uncle,” Raikichi murmurs after a beat. “Hopefully soon, we’ll be out of here entirely.”

“I’m sure you’ll all be home together soon,” Kabu agrees. “Speaking of home together - where’s Piers?”

“He had stop in at Spikemuth to wrap up some loose ends with the Gym and the town as a whole before officially taking his paternity leave,” Raikichi explains. “Hopefully he’ll be back soon. I know he does so much, between working for the good of his hometown, and taking care of me, and now Runa, too. I really admire him for it.”

Kabu nods, his eyes still watching Runa carefully.

“He’s certainly doing his best for everyone involved, isn’t he?” The Gym Leader comments. “It’s very admirable. But, you know, if he were here, I’m sure he’d tell you there’s no point in overtiring yourself standing here.”

Raikichi’s about to open her mouth in protest with a voice speaks up from behind them.

“If who were here?”

Raikichi turns around, lightening fast. She’d know that voice anywhere.

“Piers!” She exclaims, reaching out for the musician. Piers reaches back to her, pulling her into a deep kiss and a gentle hug.

“Ah- good timing,” Kabu laughs. “I was just telling your wife how you wouldn’t want her overtiring herself, trying to keep watch over your daughter. She nearly fell asleep on her feet when I walked in.”  
“Is that true?” Piers asks, concern in his voice.

“It - it’s fine,” Raikichi deflects. “I’m fine.”

“You look exhausted,” Piers frowns. “You need your rest, too, you know. How long have you been here, like this?”

Raikichi frowns; she’s sure if she told Piers exactly how many hours she’d been watching little Runa, he’d be even more worried than he already is. Fortunately, Piers seems to know he won’t get a straightforward answer out of his headstrong wife.

“Don’t actually tell me. I’m not sure I’ll like the truth,” Piers caves. “Listen. I’m worried about you, and it sounds like Kabu is, too. I know it’s nearly impossible seeing Runa in here like this, but she is doing better every day. You need to be physically strong and ready for when she comes home with us. I spoke with the doctor on the way in, and he said it could be a couple weeks, but it could be a few days, too, depending on how quickly she improves.”

The thought of Runa coming home is like a jolt of electricity through Raikichi’s body. Hope sears through her very being, and suddenly, she realizes what a fool she’s been.

“Why don’t you come back home to lay down?” Piers concludes.

It’s tempting. Raikichi is silent a long moment, turning the thought over in her head, watching Raikichi, whose legs are settling down from their kicking spree.

“But then who will watch her?” She asks.

“The nurses and doctors whose job it is to monitor her will keep an eye on her,” Piers offers, but as soon as the words are out of his mouth, he can tell it’s inadequate for Raikichi.

“No - I mean - she’ll be all alone, with them,” she says, clearly distressed.

“I’ll stay with her,” Kabu quickly speaks up. “At least until the NICU closes for visitors. Please, Raikichi, go home and get some rest.”

The concern in his eyes reflects the concern in Piers’ eyes, and Raikichi knows there’s no way she can turn them both down.

“Okay,” she agrees.

* * *

As difficult as it had been to see Runa in the incubator, it’s even more difficult to manage her when she’s released from the hospital.

Raikichi’s life becomes a constant milieu of trying to soothe upset stomachs, keep Runa hydrated after she’s spit up for the tenth time in a row, take her temperature to make sure the fever hadn’t come back, put her down for a nap against all the resistance of her inconsolable crying, and, of course, change at least a dozen diapers a day. Though Piers pulls his weight and is truly an equal partner in nearly all baby-related endeavors, Raikichi isn’t sure she herself had recovered fully from birth or from the NICU experience. She’s never felt so run-down in her life, and only feels marginally better when Uncle Kabu steps in, too, taking care of Runa for hours at a time.

So it is that Raikichi finds herself cleaning up yet another spit-up accident in the middle of the night. It seems that all of the milk she’d been able to get into Runa earlier - no more than an ounce, really - has been lost already, and Raikichi feels her hands begin to shake as she realizes that if Runa doesn’t start keeping down more fluid, she’ll have to bring her back to the hospital.

 _Anything but that_ , she pleads silently. Runa fusses and cries, kicking and thrashing in Raikichi’s arms. She’d grown so much stronger since the hospital - if she backslid all that way, became so weak again…

It’s too much for Raikichi to bear, and so she hunches over Runa’s little crib, and begins to sob.

She tries to keep herself quiet, but she’s been silent for so long at this point, bearing every challenge, every setback, as stoically as she can. All of it has to come out, at some point.

And it does.

Raikichi holds her weeping baby to her chest, feeling her own hot tears slide down her cheeks and into Runa’s infant-soft hair.

Then, the door opens, a shaft of light from the hallway breaking into Runa’s little room.

“Hey,” Piers says, his voice groggy with sleep but still concerned. “I thought I heard something - oh, no,” he murmurs, rushing to Raikichi as soon as he realizes what’s happening. “Oh, my beloved. The light of my life. Come here,” he says, enfolding Raikichi - and Runa - in his strong arms. “What’s wrong? Is Runa okay?”

“Yes,” Raikichi says reflexively around her tears, then corrects herself. “No. I - I don’t know. She spit up everything I just got in her, and now she’s crying and won’t take any more milk, and….and,” Raikichi stammers, a sob tearing from her chest. “I’m so afraid she’ll have to go back, Piers. Back to the hospital. I’m so worried I’m doing something wrong, or not doing everything I can for her -”

“Hey, don’t be silly,” Piers murmurs, swaying gently on his feet in an effort to soothe both his wife and his daughter. “You’re doing so much for her. You’re here, giving it 100% just to make sure she keeps some liquid down, right? You’ve kept her fed and hydrated and as healthy as can be so far, and it hasn’t been easy. You’re doing wonderfully.”

“Then why - why isn’t she -” Raikichi shakes her head, swallowing her sobs and trying to calm herself down.

“She’s probably responding to your nervousness. Babies can be very attuned to their mothers, you know. Here - give her to me, and let me try.”

Raikichi doesn’t know how, exactly, Piers is staying so calm. He’s been up as much as Raikichi has, lately, and she knows he must be as exhausted as she is. But she gives Runa over to him all the same, and he holds her in one arm, swaying and rocking her soothingly.

Amazingly, Runa does begin to calm down, and as she does, so does Raikichi.

“There’s this song I’ve been writing in my head,” Piers murmurs, his eyes affixed on his daughter. “It’s kind of cheesy. Not my usual thing.”

Raikichi’s curiosity is heightened by this admission.

“Yeah?” She asks.

“Yeah. It’s this little thing - it’s not finished or anything - about how much I love you, and how much I love Runa, and how I know that you’re both so strong and you’re both going to come through this okay. It’s, um, kind of a love song, and in my head, I’m callling it _Beloved_. Cause you’re both my beloved.”

Runa makes a little cooing noise at this, and Raikichi and Piers both laugh.

“I think she wants to hear it,” Raikichi says, managing a small smile.

“Well, she’ll have to work for it,” Piers laughs. “Do you have a bottle of her special formula ready?”

“Over on the nightstand,” Raikichi agrees, and Piers moves to pick it up. Runa gives him some trouble at first, failing to latch on to the bottle and growing fussy about it, but then Piers begins to sing.

His voice is low and quiet; the melody is much slower, much more lilting than anything he usually belts out. He reaches out to Raikichi with the hand holding the bottle, and she moves to his side, nestling into his chest and savoring the way his voice vibrates through his body.

Slowly, little Runa settles down again, and this time, she latches onto the bottle and begins to drink. Piers continues to sing, his voice quiet but even, though he sends Raikichi a quick wink.

“I think music might be her thing,” he murmurs before starting in on the chorus.

“What a surprise,” Raikichi teases.

Piers runs through the whole song a second time while little Runa works on drinking - this time, a full two ounces, plenty enough to fill her tiny stomach. Raikichi closes her eyes and listens to the song - the song made for her and for her daughter. When she hears it, she does truly feel beloved, and she feels, for the first time in a while, that everything is going to be all right. Listening to Piers’ song, she feels safe, protected, cherished, and she dares to allow herself to dream of all that Runa will grow up to be. She could be headstrong and courageous, like Raikichi herself; she could be musically inclined and avant-garde, like her father; she could be any combination of them, or something new entirely.

Whatever she proves to be, Raikichi knows that both she and Piers will love her dearly.


	6. Luxury (Camilla/Gordie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 Prompt: Luxury  
> Characters: Camilla and Gordie  
> Rating: Teen  
> Camilla and Gordie are both used to having to work hard for every last thing they have. So when an amazing opportunity falls into their lap, neither of them are willing to pass it up.  
> Camilla belongs to the wonderful Gia, who goes by Togekissu on Twitter and usa-buns on Tumblr!! Camilla and Gordie are a precious couple and I've had the wonderful opportunity to write for them before...so I couldn't resist giving them something big and exciting in this fic! Go check out Gia's accounts and follow her for more Camilla content if you're not following her already! <33

“Oooh, it smells good in here,” Camilla smiles as she and Gordie step into their favorite pizza restaurant in Motostoke. 

“It does,” Gordie agrees, taking in a deep breath as he lets the door close behind Camilla. “Table for two, please,” Gordie tells the hostess, and she smiles and seats them immediately, handing each of them their own menu.

“Your server will be with you in a minute,” she says graciously, then leaves.

“Thanks,” Camilla and Gordie chirp in unison. A moment later, Gordie turns to his girlfriend.

“Well,” he says with a smile. “We really can’t go wrong with any of the food here, and after that exhibition battle against Kabu, I’m starving. So what looks good to you, Cammy?”

Camilla smiles and bobs her foot a little under the table. Truthfully, Gordie is right - _everything_ on the menu will be delicious.

“Whatever we get, I want extra Moomoo Cheese,” she says, her eyes scanning the menu quickly. There’s a make-your-own-pizza section, and also a section with specialty pizzas where the chef has preselected a variety of toppings. And, Camilla notes, opening the menu a page further, there’s a paper insert with the daily specials. 

“Extra cheese sounds good,” Gordie approves, also leafing through his copy of the menu, but Camilla’s only half listening.

“Hey, check out the daily specials,” she says, holding up the little paper leaflet. “They’ve got a bunch of specialty pizzas named after the Gym Leaders.” A note right at the top of the page reads:

_Attention! If your favorite Gym Leader doesn’t have a pizza yet, we welcome you to check in with us soon! We’re always developing new flavor combinations and soon will have all 8 (pizza) badges!_

“Huh, that’s kinda fun,” Gordie murmurs, pulling out his copy of the leaflet.

Camilla’s heart skips; she hopes there’s one for her boyfriend. She scans the page quickly, looking for his name -

And there it is. 

The Gordie.

“You’ve got a pizza, Gordie!” Camilla exclaims, her heart skipping a beat. Her boyfriend has a _pizza_ named after him at their favorite restaurant in Motostoke! 

“Do I really?” Gordie asks, scanning the page himself and finding The Gordie for himself. It’s tagline is _a pizza with bold, stylish flavors and textures that really rock!_ , and it’s topped with slow-roasted Wiki berries, sweet apple slices, Smoke-Poke Tail slices, and extra Moomoo cheese.

“It doesn’t sound bad,” Camilla says, raising her eyes from the menu to see Gordie’s reaction to The Gordie.

“Actually,” he admits, raising his eyes, too. “It sounds pretty good.”

A grin breaks across Camilla’s features at this.

“You wanna try it?” She asks.

“Yeah,” Gordie laughs, taking his sunglasses off. “I think I do, actually.”

Their waitress bustles over soon after, and offers to take their drink orders. Gordie gets a Soda Pop and Camilla gets a Lemonade; before the waitress leaves, though, Gordie speaks up.

“If you don’t mind, we’re actually ready to order our food, too,” he says. 

“Oh, of course!” Their waitress nods. “What can I get for you?”

Camilla stays silent, giving Gordie a teasing look. He flushes bright red and fumbles once he realizes his girlfriend is going to make him actually say the order out loud.

“Um. Can I uh. Can I get the Gordie, please,” he finally manages, ducking his head a little as he continues to blush. Their waitress laughs good-naturedly in response.

“You know, I was really hoping you were going to order that. Chef’s going to be so happy when I tell him _the_ Gordie just ordered The Gordie. It’s his newest creation,” she adds. “Tell you what - we’ve been doing this thing with the other Gym Leaders where if they order their special pizza, we give it to them on the house as long as they let us get a picture of them with it and put it on the wall.” She gestures across the restaurant, and only then do Camilla and Gordie notice the faces of quite a few of Gordie’s peers, smiling with their respective pies. “Would you guys be interested?”

Gordie gives Camilla a sidelong glance, and she nods.

“Yeah, sure,” he agrees. “But only if Camilla gets to be in the picture with me.”

Camilla blushes, but smiles happily, unable to resist thinking how sweet it was of him to want to make it clear that she was important to him.

“Sounds good to me!” The waitress chirps. “I’ll be back with your drink orders and I’ll put in one order for The Gordie!”

Then she gathers up Camilla and Gordie’s menus and leaves.

Except, Camilla notices, for a single leaflet of the daily specials that has been left behind.

“Let’s go see who ordered what,” Gordie grins, nodding in the direction of the wall of photos and waving the leaflet of specials in one hand. Camilla can’t help but smile, too.

“Well, now I’m just curious,” she agrees. Camilla and Gordie leave their bags on their seat, and Gordie sets his Rotom phone on the table, too - they’re not going far, after all, just a few feet away, and their things are an easy enough placeholder for their seats for a few minutes.

The wall has quite a few Gym Leaders already, to Camilla’s surprise. Milo smiles out from under his sunhat, a Wooloo on his lap; his pizza is loaded with a variety of greens and vegetables. The Nessa is more expensive per the specials menu, but it’s also loaded with a variety of seafood. The Gym Leader herself has struck a particularly elegant pose for the wall, which is impressive, given that Camilla hadn’t even considered that it would be possible to pose elegantly with pizza. Kabu’s pizza is smothered in spices and spicy berries, and he gives the camera a small half-smile on the wall with a thumbs up, his signature towel around his neck. Bea and Opal both have pizzas, though neither have their pictures up on the wall; apparently, neither had visited so far. Only Piers and Raihan don’t have pizzas named in their honor yet.

“This is brilliant,” Camilla grins, and snaps quick photos of all of Gordie’s colleagues.

“Definitely fun,” Gordie agrees. “Though I can’t believe Kabu can eat that pizza. ”

“Me neither,” Camilla laughs. “It looks like fire in food form.” Gordie chuckles in agreement, and the pair drift back to the table together.

As they go to sit down, Gordie’s Rotom phone jumps up, flying through the air excitedly.

“Gordie! You have four textzz from your mother!” He calls.

Gordie’s face goes somewhat whiter than usual, and his brows furrow. To his credit, he stays calm otherwise, sitting down and reading through the texts in silence.

“Is everything all right?” Camilla asks. She hopes it’s nothing more than an update on the Gordie Fan Club that Melony’s been involved in lately, but she also knows that that many texts from Melony could very well mean something had gone wrong at home. Hadn’t one of his younger siblings just gotten over a nasty fever? Hopefully that hadn’t come back…

“Yeah,” Gordie mumbles. “Listen to this. _Hey sweetie, I just got a text from my friend Marly, the who works at Devon Corp. The one who’s really rich? You remember her?”_

“Wait, your mom knows rich people from, what, Hoenn?” Camilla interrupts, frowning a little. “How did that happen?”

“Honestly, at this point, I can’t keep track. She’s got connections all over,” Gordie shrugs. “Anyway, I thought she probably just wanted free babysitting from me or something, cause that’s all Marly used to text mom for. But the text says, and I quote, _Marly had something come up with her father’s health and she doesn’t think she’ll be able to take her family to their timeshare in Coumarine City this year. She’s offered a week to me, but I don’t think we’re in a position to travel right now. Any chance you and Camilla want a week in Kalos’ top seaside resort area for free?”_

Camilla’s head immediately begins to reel.

“Wait - wait, did you say a week in _Coumarine City?_ Where the taxes on those villas cost more than our rowhouse itself does in a year?”

“Yeah,” Gordie nods.

“In Kalos. A week. For free,” Camilla says, her jaw dropping open.

“A week, for free,” Gordie repeats. How can he be so calm about this? Is this actually all for real, or is he pranking her?

Not that he’s the type to be a prankster, but it seems somehow more plausible to Camilla than spending a week living in the sort of luxury that they could ordinarily only dream about - if they even dared to dream that large.

“This is bonkers,” is all that she’s able to manage.

“You’re telling me,” Gordie says, raising his eyes to hers. He’s even more pale than when he’d seen his mom had sent him four texts, and somehow, it’s this that gets through to Camilla.

This is definitely for real.

“We’ve got to go!” She exclaims, reality sinking in. “Gordie, if your mom is serious about this - we’ve absolutely got to go. When are we ever going to be able to afford a vacation in Kalos otherwise? This is amazing!”

“Yeah, as long as there’s no babysitting catch waiting on the other end of this thing,” Gordie mumbles, but obliges and texts his mom back. Camilla laughs at this.

“Either way -” she begins, but a moment later, their waitress reappears, pizza in hand and camera around her neck.

“All right! One Gordie for _the_ Gordie, plus his lovely lady,” she says, setting their pie on a pizza stand on the table. “Would you like to both be on the same side of the table for the picture?”

“Sure,” Gordie says, putting his arm out for Camilla. Although she’s suddenly a little flustered to actually have her picture being taken for this thing, she slides in beside him and gives an enormous smile, more than a little excited at the prospect of an unexpected vacation to one of the top destinations in the world…all with her amazing boyfriend.

* * *

Coordinating over a week straight of time off from their jobs on relatively little notice had proved to be more than a little difficult - but Camilla’s boss at Bob’s Your Uncle had understood once she’d explained the whole situation, and had genuinely wanted her to go and enjoy the experience. Melony had done a bit of helicopter parenting, as usual, and stepped in with the Pokemon League, even offering to go back to covering for Gordie in Circhester’s Gym. Whether the offer had been taken up or not, it had worked, and Gordie had been approved for time off, too.

In the end, they’d both wound up squarely in Kalos, stepping off an ocean liner and into the port of Coumarine City.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen boats this…expensive-looking,” Camilla says, her eyes wide.

“Me neither,” Gordie agrees.

“But I can see why they’re here. The water is so blue, it’s beautiful,” Camilla sighs, holding to Gordie’s arm. 

“Yeah,” Gordie agrees, then leans in closer to Camilla. “Too bad it’s hard to see most of it because of the yachts,” he snarks, and Camilla giggles a little. His comment is true; there are so many gigantic, shiny boats on all sides of them, it almost feels like being stuck in traffic. More importantly, it has what Camilla is sure is its intended effect - his humor puts her at ease almost immediately.

The pair follow the dock to where it joins the land, trying to juggle their medium bags of luggage while avoiding the other tourists, some of whom have packed quite a lot heavier for their stays. As they move down the docks, the city as a whole comes into view. Villa after villa with sparkling glass and beautiful white walls are clustered on vaulted cliffs. Soft sand beaches stretch out in all directions, and Camilla can make out a few paths from the sprawling resort complexes down to the beach. The pair move out of the way of the crowd, getting their bearings now that they’re back on land again.

“Hey, Rotom, could you come out?” Camilla requests. Her Rotom Phone buzzes to life, flying out of her bag and swirling around her.

“Hey, Camilla,” Rotom grins. “Wow, look at this place!”

“Yeah, we’re in Kalos!” Camilla beams. “Could you do a favor and snap a photo of me and Gordie?”

“Zzzure,” Rotom smiles. “Say cheese!”

Camilla and Gordie smile, and Rotom snaps a quick photo for them.

“That actually came out pretty good,” Gordie grins when Rotom turns around to show the result to them.

“Yeah! Thanks, Rotom,” Camilla agrees. “Now, could you pull up your GPS and bring us to the address of our villa?”

“You got it, bozz!” Rotom agrees, and begins to lead the way down the street. “Vacation, here we come!”

“You couldn’t have said it better, Rotom!” Camilla laughs, and sets off after her device, pulling her boyfriend along by the arm.

* * *

“This is unbelievable,” Camilla breathes, standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. It curves outwards just the slightest bit and faces the ocean, which beats against a private white sand beach with a winding path down the cliff side.

“I’ll say,” Gordie says behind her, sliding one hand onto her waist and drawing near to her. “Did you see the welcome basket they left us? There’s these Grepa berries from this Aquacorde Vintage and they are _amazing_. Say ahh,” he murmurs, and Camilla opens her mouth. Gordie pops a berry in, and Camilla chews down on it, savoring the flavor.

“Wow,” she murmurs. “You’re right - these are the best I’ve ever had.”

“Aren’t they? We’ve got a complimentary bottle of the wine they make, too,” Gordie adds. “Any interest in sharing a glass, and then going to watch the sunset down on the beach?”

Camilla’s eyes sparkle as she turns around in Gordie’s arms.

“That sounds spectacular,” she agrees, kissing him deeply. Gordie chuckles and kisses her deeply in return, then picks her up off her feet and spins her around.

“I’m so glad I get to take you here,” he says, then kisses her once more, a big smile stretching his lips as he does.

“I’m so glad, too,” Camilla says, pulling back for air. “But….I want you know, I would have loved any vacation with you. We don’t have to go somewhere as fancy as this just to make me happy. Being with _you_ is what makes me happy.”

“I know, Cammy,” Gordie hums, squeezing her just a little more tightly in his strong arms. “The same is true for me. But you’re an amazing woman, and it makes me so happy to know that you get the chance to enjoy yourself among all…this,” he says, gesturing at the room around them - the chandelier, the enormous framed paintings, the expensive-looking tropical plants in the corners of the room. “I love you so much, and I would give you the world if I could. This feels like a little way of being able to do that, you know?”

“I know, Gordie,” Camilla sighs, kissing him on his cheek. “I love you so much, too. And I feel the same way for you - I’d give you the world, if I could, too. The world and the moon.”

“I’m a lucky man,” Gordie says, drawing away from her with a chuckle. “Now, let’s crack into this bottle, and -” he pauses, reading a little tag attached to the wine. “ _Whoa.”_

“What?” Camilla asks, intensely curious. “What is it?”

“They say that we technically own this beach for the week, so we can enjoy this down there. No open container laws apply, or anything. I hadn’t - I didn’t even consider -”

Camilla’s eyes widen.

“What are we waiting for?!” She exclaims, suddenly enthusiastic. “Let’s get our bathing suits on and let’s go!”

“Heck yeah!” Gordie says, then whoops loudly, punching the air.

As the two tear into their luggage bags to find their swim suits and change, throwing stray clothes at each other playfully, Camilla feels as if the world has opened up to her and Gordie for this one, shining week. For the next seven days, this whole villa is hers and Gordie’s playground, and they’re going to enjoy every last minute of it, drink it all in with a passion, and make memories that will last them a lifetime. After so many years of struggling, of working so hard to make ends meet and striving to achieve their dreams as a Coordinator and Gym Leader, respectively, she feels, inexplicably, that they finally have free license to just be themselves and not worry about anything.

Having changed into her bathing suit, and Gordie now in his, Camilla grabs her towel and gets ready to go. Suddenly, a surprisingly mischievous idea hits her. Smiling ear to ear, Camilla grabs one of those Aquacorde Grepa berries, popping one in her mouth and holding the other out to Gordie. He eats it from her fingers with a playful wink, and Camilla leans in seductively. She presses her fingers to his lips and lets her mouth hover close to his ear, her lips ghosting along the shell of his ear.

“Gordie,” she breathes.

“Yes, Cammy?” He responds, his breath catching.

A teasing smile comes across Camilla’s lips, and she has to actually resist the urge to laugh.

“How about we play a game?” She says, struggling to continue to sound seductive.

“What kind of game?” Gordie’s voice becomes husky.

“It’s called…” she draws back, still smiling, and finally blurts, “Last one to the beach is a rotten egg!” Before Gordie can register what’s happened, she grabs the wine and starts to run.

“Oh, I am so getting you back for that later!” Gordie laughs, running after her and following her out the door.

“Sounds good to me, ” Camilla calls back, already imagining exactly what he meant by that. She’s got some very particular ideas, and she hopes they all come true - preferably in a very big, very fancy bed.

Either way, she knows one thing is true - this is gonna be one of the most amazing weeks of their lives.


	7. Cliff (Siane/Nanu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 Prompt: Cliff  
> Characters: Siane/Nanu  
> Rating: Teen  
> Warnings: Mild language  
> After weeks of weakness and unexpected fainting episodes, Siane's health is returning to her - and with it, her strength. If Nanu thought some of her antics were going to give him a heart attack before, he hasn't seen anything yet.  
> Siane belongs to HybridDragoness - you can find her under that handle on both AO3, Tumblr, and Twitter! If you're not familiar with Hybrid's art or AMAZING OC and ship yet, please go check her out and follow her!

For once, it looks like it’s actually not raining on Route 17.

When Siane steps outside to check, it is, in fact, misting lightly, the water in the air so fine that her eyes almost can’t see it. But the sun is actually trying to make its way out of the clouds, for once. Siane closes her eyes and basks in the radiant light on her skin.

As she enjoys the sunshine, one thought creeps into her mind: if it’s this nice here, it has to be _amazing_ on the rest of Ula’ula. Her occasional outings with Nanu had proved that to be, overall, a consistent rule that applied to the island.

Siane heads back inside, waking up her Fearow with a gentle stroke along its long neck. Fearow shivers and then wakes up, blinking up at her groggily. A stirring under her wings tells Siane that some of Nanu’s Meowth have taken refuge under her feathers for the night; a moment later, they creep out slowly, stretching and yawning.

“Hey, girl,” Siane murmurs, stroking Fearow’s neck. “It’s beautiful out, this morning. You wanna stretch your wings?”

Fearow makes a quiet noise, careful not to wake Nanu. It’s early, still, and the man had been up until the wee hours of the morning with some unexpected police work. Surprisingly, it hadn’t appeared to be anything related to Ula’ula itself - from what Siane had understood, he’d gotten a phone call all the way from Unova, and he’d somehow wound up shoehorned into being a consultant on a high-profile case over there. 

It had been a bit surprising, the realization that the man she’d grown so fond of was not just competent at his job, but internationally renowned for it. How he’d wound up on peaceful Ula’ula, where his talents were seldom used, is quite the mystery to Siane.

Siane and Fearow head outside together, Siane having to push some of the more curious Meowth back inside with one foot; Nanu typically didn’t like them roaming. Fearow steps out from under the eaves of the Po Town Police Station tentatively, her eyes sparkling in the morning sun. She raises her head, and stretches her wings, feeling the wind ruffle through her feathers.

Then, with just a few powerful beats of her wings, she takes off into the air. 

Siane watches, a smile on her lips, as Fearow gains altitude quickly, her enormous wings buoying her on the currents of air. Soon, she’s no bigger than the tip of Siane’s finger in the sky, her wings shimmering in the light as she glides.

Seeing her so free, so strong and healthy, makes Siane’s heart feel incredibly full and warm.

But then, Siane considers, she’s quite strong and healthy, herself. It’s been a long road to recovery, but finally, after literal weeks of battling unpredictable fainting episodes and crushing weakness in her muscles, she feels back to herself again. She hasn’t passed out in over two weeks, by now, and she no longer needs to sleep for horus after expending a lot of energy.

So what was to stop _her_ from being as free as Fearow, too?

As if Fearow can read her mind, she turns and begins to drop altitude, gradually returning to the ground. Siane smiles as she watches her; given the depths of the spiritual bond between the two of them, she wouldn’t put it past Fearow to know exactly what she was hoping for.

Fearow’s wings stretch and arc as she beats the air, slowing down her descent before touching down next to Siane. Then, she turns around and presents her back to Siane.

“One moment, girl,” Siane murmurs, then darts inside. She takes care to be quiet as she walks along, searching for the small Aedisian saddle that she utilized to ride Fearow. It’s around here somewhere; she knows it is. Nanu had mentioned it months ago, now, when she’d first arrived. She can remember him telling her he’d taken it off Fearow and stored it somewhere.

But where?

A Meowth gives a plaintive yowl, hoping for attention or food or both, and Siane hushes it.

“Shh,” she says gently. “Your daddy is sleeping.”

The Meowth turns its head towards where Nanu is resting, and settles down. They may be stubborn creatures, in some ways, but they also love Nanu dearly, and don’t want to disturb him.

Finally, after some rummaging around, Siane finds it behind some spare containers of Meowth food. She hoists the apparatus onto her shoulder, pleased to see that it’s in as good of shape as she could have hoped for - no Meowth scratches on the leather, or anything.

“Found it,” Siane beams up at Fearow once she’s outside. Fearow caws in excitement, flapping her wings. “Shh,” Siane says, though she can’t help but smile broadly; she’s every bit as excited as Fearow is, after all. Sure, she’d flown on the Ride Pager Charizards, which had been exhilarating in and of itself - but they’re not her Fearow. The connection between them is at least half of what makes flying so elating. 

Siane slides the Aedisian saddle onto Fearow’s back, and fastens its straps with nimble fingers. In a way, she’s relieved that she can still do this so quickly. She’s never gone this long without flying on Fearow - at least, not since they’d become partners - and she’d almost been half-worried that she would have forgotten how to get the saddle on her.

A silly fear, Siane considers, but still.

“Okay,” Siane nods, double-checking the fit of the saddle and pushing against it to make sure it was securely in place. “I think we’re set. Where do you want to go, girl?”

Fearow’s head swings around to allow Siane to meet her gaze. There’s something remarkably wise in Fearow’s dark eyes - wise and kind.

Siane suddenly knows exactly where they should go.

“Let me go write Nanu a note, so he doesn’t worry,” she says, patting Fearow’s long neck gently. “If he even wakes up before I’m back,” she adds with a quiet laugh. The poor man would likely need quite a lot more sleep, given how late he’d been up.

Quietly, Siane slips into the police station one more time, finding a spare piece of paper and pen. _Hey Nanu,_ she writes. _If you’re up and I’m not here, don’t worry! I’ve just gone to get some groceries in Malie City. See you soon!_

Siane pauses, hesitating a moment before signing off.

In the end, she puts down a little heart, and then her name.

* * *

It’s hard for Siane to balance one very overfull bag of groceries and fly at the same time, but not impossible.

She and Fearow had made good time to Malie City, all things considered, and she feels confident that she’ll be back home before Nanu’s awake.

Though truthfully, a small part of her doesn’t care if Nanu’s up or not. Flying on Fearow feels absolutely _incredible_. It’s everything she had been missing - the familiar feeling of gliding through the air, her trusted partner only needing to beat her powerful wings now and then to keep aloft; the subtle twitches that Siane could feel in Fearow’s wings that allowed them to change angles and drift; the rush of wind through her hair and Fearow’s feathers.

But perhaps above all else, she relishes the way that she and Fearow act as one, making small adjustments and split-second decisions together.

It’s a world different from flying on a Ride Pager Charizard, and Siane doesn’t ever want to go back.

By the time they touch down in front of the Po Town Police Station, every last inch of Siane feels _alive_ in a way that she hasn’t felt in such a long time. She feels electrified, vibrant, passionate - and she can tell Fearow feels the same way.

“Thanks, girl,” Siane says, patting Fearow’s neck and sliding off her back. The Pokemon nuzzles gently into Siane’s hair for a moment, pulling Siane to her breast and enfolding her wings around her in what is clearly the Fearow version of a hug. Siane reaches up to hold her close, in turn.

She could swear, in that moment, that they were breathing in sync, Fearow’s heart in her chest beating in unison with Siane’s. There’s no question in Siane’s mind that Fearow is feeling the full range of emotions that she herself is.

Finally, reluctantly, they part, only exchanging one more look between the two of them. Though they don’t speak, both Pokemon and Trainer know they’re eagerly awaiting the next time they get to fly together.

* * *

Nanu takes so long to wake up, Siane caves and eats her half of the breakfast she’s cooked, and then has to actually put his half of the food in the refrigerator. The hours tick by into the early afternoon, and finally, Siane creeps into his room to check on him. He’s curled up on his side under his blankets, huddled on one edge of his bed.

In sleep, the man looks surprisingly peaceful. There’s less tension in his face, and the little worry line that creases his jaw where he so often frowns is hardly visible.

Siane sits on the edge of his bed, debating for a moment whether she should wake him up. But he’d probably be disappointed if he slept away for his whole day off, so in the end, she touches his shoulder gently, and gives him a soft nudge.

“Nanu,” she murmurs, her voice quiet.

He wakes up with a jolt, sitting straight up and looking around, trying to get his bearings.

“What is it?” He asks, suddenly on edge.

“It’s okay, Nanu, it’s just me,” Siane says with a smile. “Do you always wake up like that?”

“Oh - Siane,” Nanu sighs, sinking back down onto his pillow. “It’s just you.” He blinks up at her drowsily, rather like one of his Meowth. He looks surprisingly cute, like this, and Siane can’t help but reach over and smooth down his grey hair. “I - what are you doing?” Nanu asks, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

“You’ve got quite the case of bedhead,” Siane laughs.

“It always does this,” he grumbles, sitting up a little and batting Siane’s hands away, smoothing his hair down himself. “Did you wake me up because you needed something, or just because you wanted to play with my hair?”

Siane laughs again at this.

“Well, it’s going on 2 o’clock, so I figured -” she begins.

“2 o’clock? Ah, shit,” Nanu interrupts, twisting to allow himself to check his alarm clock. As he turns, the blankets fall of his torso, and Siane’s eyes widen slightly; he apparently sleeps shirtless.

And he doesn’t look bad shirtless, either.

“Fuck. Can’t believe it’s that late. Those Unovan cops have ruined my day off,” Nanu grumbles, turning back to Siane. He catches her staring at his chest, though, and raises one eyebrow. “What’re you looking at?”

Siane’s heart skips a beat, but a flirtatious, almost confident smile spreads across her face as she meets Nanu’s gaze.

“Just you. You don’t look too bad shirtless, old man,” she teases, standing up. “But you really should get up and get dressed. I’ve got a sashimi breakfast waiting for you, you know?”

“Sashimi?” Nanu asks, pushing his blanket off himself and sitting up on the edge of his bed. He’s wearing a pair of black plaid pajama pants, though a trace of his boxers peeks out from under the waistline of his pants. “Didn’t think we had anything that nice just laying around, waiting to be eaten.”

His intense, red eyes narrow at Siane, all trace of sleepiness gone from them. His suspicion has been piqued, and now Siane knows he’ll get the truth out of her one way or the other. It was the cop training in him.

“We didn’t,” Siane shrugs, trying to sound casual. “Fearow and I flew to Malie City to pick some fresh catch-of-the-day up at the stalls by the ocean.” Nanu’s eyes widen at this. “We were all right - don’t worry,” Siane says quickly, recognizing Nanu’s expression as concern.

“I - oh, Arceus, if something had happened, though,” Nanu murmurs, dropping his head into his hands. 

A stab of guilt lances through Siane. In a way, she’d expected a lecture, or perhaps some pointed comments about how foolish she’d been, flying on Fearow alone for the first time. Seeing Nanu react with nothing but fear for her well-being is worse, somehow.

But at the same time, she isn’t sorry - she _can’t_ be sorry - for doing the one thing it feels like she was born to do.

“I was okay, Nanu. I’ve been okay for a couple weeks now. And if something _had_ happened, Fearow would have taken care of me,” she says, keeping her voice patient and even.

Nanu takes a deep breath and raises his head from his hands, standing up.

“I know,” he nods. “And I know I can’t stop you from exploring the island more, or flying again, or even, someday…” Nanu pauses, shaking his head, and Siane wonders if he had been about to say _going home_ or if that had just been her imagination. “It’s just - I worry about you, Siane. Still. So just - take care of yourself, okay?”

The look he gives her then is one of such earnest, open concern that Siane’s heart melts.

“I will, kahuna,” she says, and moves to pull him into an embrace. Nanu stiffens in her arms at first, but a moment later, melts against her, setting his chin on her shoulder and pulling her close. His hold is soothing and warm, and when they part, Siane finds herself missing his arms around her.

Not that he needs to know that, right now.

“Hurry up and get dressed so you can go eat and tell me how good that sashimi is. Guarantee you’ll find it worth the flight I took to Malie City,” she says with a cheeky grin, then turns and leaves Nanu’s room before he can think of a clever comeback.

* * *

“All right, the sashimi’s pretty good,” Nanu grumbles as he pops yet another piece in his mouth.

“Worth a solo flight to Malie City?” Siane presses.

“Don’t push your luck, Siane,” he says, giving her a coy look out of the corner of his eye. Siane laughs at this, then turns back to watch the TV.

The weatherperson is announcing that clear skies are expected across Alola for the remainder of the day.

“Furthermore,” the weatherperson continues. “We’re expecting to see the peak of our annual autumn meteor shower tonight, so if you have the chance to get outside tonight, do! Even better, if any of you on Ula’ula today can make it up to Hokulani Observatory, they’re hosting guided observation hours!”

Siane glances at Nanu to gauge his interest. She’d been wanting to go to Hokulani for quite a few weeks, at this point.

Nanu catches her glance, and pops another piece of sashimi in his mouth, grimacing as he chews.

“Do I even need to ask?” He sighs.

“Probably not,” Siane laughs.

Nanu is silent for a long moment.

“Fine. We’ll go,” he acquiesces. “Only because I know if I don’t take you, you’ll just go on Fearow, anyway.”

“I would,” Siane confirms, grabbing the slice he’d been about to eat next and popping it in her mouth. Nanu scowls at her, but it’s half-hearted and playful. She chews and swallows, and adds, “But it’ll be more fun with you.”

The lopsided smile that pulls at his lips is only outshone by the fact that he takes one more piece of sashimi, and pushes the last one towards her.

* * *

Nanu had insisted Siane use a Ride Pager Charizard once he’d seen the small Aedisian saddle outfitted to Fearow. Siane hadn’t objected; she didn’t want to make the man grumpy for the rest of the day, and she didn’t want to tire Fearow out with two cross-island trips carrying her in one day, either. It would take a little bit of time before she had built her flying muscles up to their former peak of performance and endurance.

“Doing all right?” Nanu asks, one of his big hands coming to cup her elbow as she slid down from the Charizard she’d called.

“I’m fine, Nanu,” Siane laughs, reaching over to touch his hand. “But thank you.”

A small smile crosses his features before a cacophony of noise draws his attention away. When Siane turns to look, she’s surprised to see a veritable throng of people crowding the bus stop. A bus has just pulled in - its flashing lights proclaiming that it was going to the top of Mount Hokulani - and the crowd presses at it, each person fighting to get a spot to get on board.

“Guess half of Ula’ula had the same idea for today that we did,” Nanu frowns.

“There’s no way all those people are gonna make it on a bus, even if they wait all day,” Siane realizes. “We could fly up, if this Ride Charizard doesn’t have anywhere to go?” She asks, turning to the Charizard and offering him a few Poke Beans as thanks for the last ride he’d given her.

“Or…we could walk, if you want,” Nanu offers. The suggestion takes Siane by surprise; the mountain is fairly tall.

“You sure that me trying to climb that thing isn’t going to make you too worried? Give you a heart attack?” Siane teases, though really, she’s very pleased that Nanu is clearly trying to trust more in her returning strength.

Nanu takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

“No, I think it’ll be okay. You should be able to make it to the top without too much difficulty,” he decides, still looking at the mountain. “And if you have any difficulty, I’ll take care of you.” Siane sidles a little closer to him, and touches his shoulder gently. Nanu starts a little at the contact, but returns the small smile she gives him all the same.

“We’ll call you if we need you,” Siane calls to the Charizard, who roars and waves at her. “Thank you again!”

And then the two push past the crowd at the bus stop and begin to approach Mount Hokulani.

* * *

The incline is tiring for Siane, to be certain - but it’s also apparently a little tiring for Nanu, who doesn’t complain when Siane slows down to rest now and then. They’re maybe a third of the way up the mountain when Siane notices a particularly large outcropping of rock, and moves over to it, taking in the view below her and trying to catch her breath.

“You’re doing good,” Nanu murmurs, touching her shoulder tentatively. Siane leans into his hand a little, and his touch grows firmer, more confident.

“Thanks,” Siane says, giving Nanu her best smile. “Something like this would have been no problem for me, back in Aedis. But I know it would also have been impossible for me just a few weeks ago, so…”

“You’ve come a long way,” Nanu agrees, then turns to take a look at the view, too, dropping his hand. Beside Siane, her Fearow makes a noise of agreement.

But then Fearow makes another noise - a much more excited noise. She ruffles her feathers a little, feeling the wind blow through them, and Siane remembers how wonderful it had felt today, being one with her Pokemon in the skies…

“Look - you can see Po Town from up here,” Nanu laughs, pointing towards the walled city in the distance. 

“And look - there’s the police station,” Siane realizes, pointing just south of the city.

“Wait, where?” Nanu asks, squinting. Siane puts her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close so he can see where she’s pointing.

“Right there,” she says. “You see that little blob? That’s our home.”

A moment later, she realizes what she’s said, and her face heats up.

But she doesn’t correct herself, either.

“Huh,” Nanu says, his attention more on her than on the Po Town Police Station, another small smile pulling at his lips.

Siane glances away, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

Fearow caws again, fluttering her wings at their full width, and a powerful longing rushes through Siane again. When they had lived in Aedis, they’d gone cliff jumping all the time…

“Home, huh?” Nanu finally says.

“Home,” Siane echoes, though she’s only half paying attention to what she’s said. “Hey, you want to see something? Something I used to do back in Aedis?” She’s a bit surprised, herself, that she doesn’t say ‘back _home_ in Aedis’, but maybe she does have more than one home on this earth, after all.

“Sure,” Nanu says with a small shrug.

“Okay. Check this out,” Siane grins. Fearow’s already taken off, her wings beating the air; she turns and begins to bank just below the edge of the lookout.

Siane runs at the edge of the cliff, jumping off and dropping onto Fearow’s back.

Fearow catches her effortlessly, their two minds again acting as one.

“Siane!” Nanu screams, his voice strangled with worry. A moment later, though, Fearow banks up again, pulling above the cliff, and Siane whoops out loud.

Nanu’s already let Honchkrow out of his Pokeball, though, and is halfway on the big bird’s back. Impressive reaction time, Siane has to admit.

Fearow circles around him, staying somewhat close to the ground, but not close enough to touch down.

“You coming?” She asks.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Nanu shouts, clambering all the way onto Honchkrow’s back. “What _was_ that?”

“Fun!” Siane laughs. “Come on, old man, get up in the air with me!”

“Fine!” Nanu snaps. “But I’m doing it the _normal_ way. From the ground. Not off a flipping _cliff!”_

Fearow moves aside as Honchkrow ascends, and soon, the two Pokemon are flying as close to one another as they safely can, riding on the turbulent air currents around the mountain.

“The cliff jumping bit is more fun than you’d think,” Siane grins. “You should try it sometime.” Nanu frowns over at her, his red eyes disapproving.

“It’s more _dangerous_ than you’d think,” he emphasizes.

A long moment of silence stretches out between them as they soar above Ula’ula.

“I’m not going to stop, you know,” Siane says, her voice solemn. “I’ve been doing this forever, with Fearow. Life hasn’t always _been_ safe for me, so I’ve had to learn to take risks.” Nanu sighs.

“I know. And I have to learn to trust you with the risks you take,” he admits. A moment later, he frowns again. “But I don’t have to like them, either.”

Siane laughs at this.

“No, I guess you don’t. You’re quite the risk-taker yourself, though, aren’t you? I’m sure you didn’t become an internationally recognized police officer by always taking the safe route through life.”

Nanu shrugs.

“I didn’t. But -” he ducks his head. “It’s different when it’s you.”

Siane’s left a little speechless at this, and she can only smile, watching the kahuna.

He cares more than he’d like to admit.

“Hey,” Siane calls over to him, banking Fearow close to Honchkrow. “You’re sweet, you know.”

“What?” Nanu asks. Between his tone of voice and expression, Siane’s not sure if he’s taken aback, or if he really hadn’t heard her - and suddenly, her nerve disappears.

“I said, race you to the top of the mountain! Loser buys dinner at Sushi High Roller!” She calls, and with one powerful beat of her wings, Fearow begins to climb, Honchkrow not far behind.


	8. Festival (Kabu/Key)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 Prompt: Festival  
> Characters: Kabu/Key  
> Rating: Gen  
> Warnings: None  
> No matter how wonderful the Lilycove Fireworks Festival may be, it's always more fun with someone you love.  
> Key is Kater's very adorable OC!! If you want to learn more about them (and see some of the cutest art - seriously Kabukey is adorable!) go follow Kater on Twitter at starlightfruit!

“Do you see any you like?” Kabu asks, giving Key’s hand an encouraging squeeze as the pair drift through the aisle of the Lilycove Department Store. Key glances around, a bit overwhelmed by what seems like hundreds of yukata, all in different, vibrant summer patterns.

“There’s a lot I like,” they admit, and the pair step to the side of the current aisle they’re in to allow a group of teenage girls to pass. The Department Store is particularly busy this morning - everyone who didn’t have a yukata to wear to the Fireworks Festival is here, in the hopes of picking up something stylish at the last moment. “It’s actually a little hard to decide.”

Kabu smiles at this.

“I know what you mean. I’ve seen about five I’ve liked so far,” he chuckles softly. “It’s hard to narrow it down.”

Key’s interest is piqued at this, and they turn to Kabu.

“Which ones have you liked?” They ask. Their partner had been quite stoic as they’d browsed, and hadn’t let on really any hints of interest yet.

“Ah - you’re going to laugh at me,” Kabu says, his cheeks beginning to turn red. Key’s curiosity only heightens.

“Wait, why?” They ask.

“Because - all five of them are red,” he admits with a chuckle, ducking his head a little. Key does laugh, but a moment later, reaches up and cups Kabu’s cheek in their hand.

“It’s a good color on you,” they grin, pulling him in for a gentle kiss on his cheek. “And besides, it works well with the whole Man of Fire theme, you know?”

This time, it’s Kabu’s turn to laugh.

“It does,” he admits. “But you really like me in red?” His eyes are earnest, hopeful as he says the words.

“Of course, Kabu,” Key smiles. “C’mon - let’s go pick out the yukata that you liked. I’ll pick out a few of my favorites, too, and we can narrow it down from there.”

* * *

Within the hour, both Key and Kabu are back in their hotel in Lilycove City, each with their respective yukata. There’d been an option to rent them, but Kabu had insisted on buying for the both of them.

“We might use them again while we’re still on vacation in Hoenn,” he had smiled, and Key hadn’t been one to argue. Even if they didn’t wind up wearing it a second time during this trip, they’re sure they will on a future trip - and it’ll be a fun souvenir to take home to Galar, in the meanwhile.

But now, Key watches Kabu change into his yukata, trying to mimic his movements. The only trouble is that Kabu’s much faster than Key is - he’s quite familiar with what he’s doing, and Key is…less so.

“Um, which way do I…wrap this?” Key asks. They know that one way of wrapping it is incorrect and meant only for funerals, but it’s so difficult to remember if it’s right over left, or left over right first, and they don’t want to guess and get it wrong.

“Oh!” Kabu exclaims, pausing in tying a wide sash around his hips. “I’m so sorry - I forgot that this isn’t familiar for you. Here - you’ll put the right side down first, and then cross the left side over to your right hip on top. That’s it,” Kabu smiles in approval as Key follows his instructions. “Now,” he says, grabbing a thin cord of fabric from off of the bed, where it sits beside a sash that’s as wide as Kabu’s. “We’ll wrap this around you and tie it off,” he explains, reaching over Key to wrap the fabric around them. Except, instead of tying the ribbon, he uses it to pull Key closer to him, and leans down to kiss them. 

Key gasps in surprise, stiffening and blushing at first, but after a moment, melts into Kabu’s touch and and kisses him back.

“You’re really cute in the pattern you chose, you know that?” Kabu grins, pulling back for a moment. Key feels their cheeks heat up even more and ducks their head down to look at their sleeves - they’d picked a yellow-and-orange checked pattern, while Kabu had chosen a vibrant red yukata with the written character for fire repeating across it.

“We kind of match, a little. We’re both warm colors,” Key realizes.

“We do,” Kabu agrees. “I like that.”

“I like it, too,” Key smiles, and this time, they reach up to pull Kabu down for one more kiss.

* * *

As light and breezy as the yukata had felt inside their air conditioned hotel room, it feels actually rather stifling to Key now that they’re outside. The ocean lends a significant amount of salty humidity to the air of Lilycove City, and with the sun high in the sky, Hoenn is showing its infamously high summer temperatures off in full force. Key wishes, more than anything, that they could roll their long sleeves up - but, they know, that’s not exactly what is meant to be done, at a festival like this.

“Would you mind if we find some shade for a moment?” Key asks, giving Kabu’s hand in theirs a gentle squeeze.

Kabu turns to them, nodding as he draws them to the side of the street, out of the bustling crowd.

“Of course. Are you doing all right?” He asks, concern in his eyes. Key has to resist the urge to wipe some of the sweat off of their brow.

“Yeah - I’m…okay,” Key says carefully. Okay is the right word for it - they’re not great, either. The heat has them feeling vaguely nauseous. Kabu seems to understand their meaning, all the same, and he lets go of their hand, touching their shoulder instead.

“You’re not used to the heat of Hoenn,” he says. Key nods reluctantly. 

“Yeah. It’s been warm everywhere we’ve gone, but it’s really humid here, and it’s making it harder to tolerate,” they admit. “And these long sleeves aren’t helping, either.”

“Ah - isn’t that interesting? This is the kind of weather I’m used to. I grew up in this heat and humidity, you know,” Kabu muses, beginning to walk and pulling Key along gently. “Even the long sleeves of the yukata don’t bother me. It feels rather light and airy, in fact.”

“Really?” Key asks, a bit surprised. Kabu pulls them over to a green area with plenty of aromatic, flowering trees, and sits down on a bench in the shade.

“Really,” he confirms, patting the spot next to him. Key takes it, relieved to be out of the intense sun. “You know, we could come back in a few hours, when the sun’s gone down some. Fireworks won’t happen until after dusk, and if we come back in the evening, we’ll still have plenty of time to enjoy the stalls and festivities.”

Key bites their lip, balling up their hands into fists. Leaving now, because of them and their difficulty tolerating the intense heat of Hoenn, feels like they’re letting down Kabu, who would have no difficulty spending all day in the sun. Frustration and anxiety wells up within them.

But Kabu knows them well, and he sets one reassuring hand on their knee.

“I know this great swim spot, if you think the ocean might cool you down enough to be outside for a while,” he offers. “I haven’t been there since I was young,” he says, and Key turns to look at him, fighting down a lump in their throat. Kabu gives them a gentle smile, and continues. “If you go down some of the cliffs and ledges on the east of the city, there’s these shoals and shallow tidepools that extend for quite a ways. They’re so fun to splash around in - and if you go just past them, the ocean is sheltered by this little cove, and the swimming is perfect.”

His warm eyes shimmer with genuine excitement and interest as he speaks, and Key feels some of the tension leave their body.

“I don’t want to keep you from the festival, though,” Key says, on the fence. Kabu shakes his head and nuzzles into Key’s hair, pressing a kiss to the crown of their head.

“Don’t you see? It’s not about the festival for me. It’s about being with _you,_ Key. And making memories with you. That’s the point of today - and the point of this entire trip, really.”

Key feels their heart melt at this, and actual tears prickle at their eyes. Though they’re sweaty and hot, they wrap their arms around Kabu, burying their nose in his shoulder.

“I love you,” is all they manage, and Kabu chuckles, pulling them close.

“I love you, too. But just you watch - by the end of this trip, Galar’s going to feel cold to you, too.”

* * *

“Just watch out for stray Shellder,” Kabu advises as they wade out into the shallows, hand in hand. “Some of them like to lurk in the sand, and you might cut your feet on their sharp shells.”

“Oh. Good to know,” Key says, and keeps just a little closer eye on where they step.

The ocean feels perfect - it’s cool and refreshing, but not too cold, and out here, there’s a pleasant sea breeze that does wonders to counteract the humidity in the air.

It doesn’t hurt that Kabu looks incredible in his swimsuit, either, Key thinks to themselves, then forces themselves to pay more attention to where they were stepping.

Hand in hand, Key and Kabu wade far out among the shoals, until they’re about knee deep in the ocean. Key takes in the ocean as they walk, admiring the brilliant blue of the water. The sun reflects off the waves, which are kept small by the rock formations and sandbars that shelter the small cove. And, speaking of the rock formations, Key sees two that are unusual. One looks like it’s rocking back and forth in the waves; maybe it’s actually a large, flat boat, at a distance? But the other is far more unusual - it’s much closer, and it looks like there’s a bunch of Pokeballs on its surface, all rolling around slowly.

“Kabu, what’s that?” Key asks, pointing at the rolling objects.

“Hmm?” Kabu asks, looking to the island. To Key’s surprise, a smile breaks across his face. “Oh! They’re Spheals! I can’t believe they’re still down here, in this heat!”

“Wow, Spheals in this weather?” Key asks, surprised.

“They thrive in icy waters, but they’re often here in Lilycove because they love sunbathing,” Kabu laughs. “They’re also incredibly friendly and cute, if you want to -”

“Yes,” Key agrees, their eyes lighting up. “Yes, let’s go!”

This time, they’re the ones leading Kabu out by the hand. The ocean stays shallow as they go, and it’s only just before they reach the little island that Key has to actually start swimming instead of walking.

Key reaches the island before Kabu, much to their surprise, and props themselves on the edge of the landmass on their elbows. The Spheals, which had been watching Key approach, all roll over, clapping and barking and chittering among themselves.

Kabu arrives a moment later, propping himself on his elbows beside Key.

“They’re so cute!” Key laughs as one Spheal presses its nose to theirs.

“They’re really quite adorable,” Kabu agrees as another one rolls over on its back, exposing its very circular belly to him. “They’re really quite domestic, which makes them very popular as Pokemon for young children. You can even pet them,” he adds, reaching out and stroking the belly of the one on its back. “If I could bring one back to Galar, I would.”

“Even though you’re a Fire-type Trainer?” Key teases him, reaching out and petting the Spheal that had just touched their nose. Its fur is surprisingly velvety in texture.

“Don’t tell Nessa,” Kabu laughs, giving a second Spheal little scritches behind one ear.

* * *

When Kabu and Key return to the fireworks festival, the temperature is much more tolerable - and they’re both in a wonderful mood.

“Come on,” Kabu grins, taking Key by the hand. He looks surprisingly boyish, he’s so excited. “I want to treat you to all of my favorite things.”

They stop by a stall selling pretty patterned paper fans first, and Key picks out a cute blue fan with a Spheal face on it. It seems fitting, all things considered.

“Do you have a second one of those?” Kabu asks the vendor, who smiles and procures another one from underneath the stall. “I hope you don’t mind if we match,” he adds to Key.

“Of course not!” Key laughs. “I think it’s cute!”

The next stall they stop in at is selling flavored shaved ice, and Kabu gets both him and Key a cone. It’s surprisingly yummy and refreshing, and the pair swap cones a few times, each tasting the different flavor their partner had chosen.

“How about something a little more satisfying for dinner, though?” Kabu asks, leading them to a string of stalls selling various fried foods. In the end, they both settle on skewers of fried poultry.

“It’s delicious,” Key approves.

“I thought you might think so,” Kabu smiles. Key beams up at him, and a moment later, they’re overcome by just how kind and loving Kabu had been all day. He’d taken care of them, made memories with them, and now, he was spoiling them with all the best things that could be found at the festival…

Key feels a swell of emotions in their chest, and wraps their arms around Kabu’s narrow waist, pulling him into their body.

“Oh?” Kabu asks, mid-bite. He turns slightly to allow himself to wrap his arm around Key’s shoulders in return. “What’s this for?”

“Everything,” Key answers honestly. “You’ve been so sweet to me all day -”

Kabu chuckles, swallowing his bite and drawing Key even closer.

“You’re sweet to me every day, you know,” he murmurs, tilting their chin up with one hand. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, though. I am, too, because I’m with you.” He presses a gentle kiss to their lips, and pulls away, smiling.

“Kabu,” Key breathes, their eyes wide and shimmering with the colors of the setting sun. “This has been the best vacation ever. Thank you so much for taking me - and for being who you are.”

Kabu blushes fiercely at this, but Key notices the smile still on his lips as he turns away and pretends to clear his throat.

Cute.

“We’d better go find some seats,” he finally says, still blushing and smiling. “All the best spots are probably taken - people stake them out for hours, you know. Except…” he trails off, an idea clearly coming to him.

“Except what?” Key prompts, taking his hand in theirs.

“Except that beach down off the cliffs was fairly empty. I know the fireworks are going to go off on a barge out in the ocean, so I bet people don’t think you can see from in the cove. But I bet you can,” he says, turning back to Key. “Would you want to go check it out?”

A romantic beach, all to themselves, with a first-rate view of the fireworks?

“Of course,” Key agrees.

* * *

By the time they’ve made it back down the path and to the cove again, the sun is just lingering on the edge of the horizon, dusk threatening to settle down over Lilycove City.

“I don’t see the barge here,” Kabu says, frowning at the empty sea with one hand on the cliff.

“No,” Key says, kicking off their shoes. “But I think I saw it earlier, when we were out on some of the shoals."

“Did you?” Kabu asks, surprised.

“I thought it was a rock formation at first - but now I’m pretty sure it was the fireworks boat,” Key confirms. Kabu hums in appreciation, then kicks his shoes off, too.

They hitch up their yukata as they walk out, especially as they tread through the deeper tidepools, being careful to take ginger steps lest they disturb any lurking Shellder. Soon, they’re quite a ways out from the cliffs, standing on a dry sandbar, and Key points to what they thought they saw earlier.

“You see that?” They ask, and Kabu leans in to them, following their finger. It’s a little hard to find in the near-darkness, but its outline is still visible nonetheless, slowly rocking back and forth among the waves.

“That’s it,” he grins, then bends down and scoops Key up in a big embrace, lifting them off the ground and spinning around with them. As he goes to set them down, he leans in for a kiss.

As if timed by fate itself, a brilliant, red firework erupts in the sky as Kabu’s lips touch Key’s. The pair kiss deeply for a long moment, all the emotion of the day coming out in passionate hunger, but soon, they part, smiling at one another as the fireworks continue to paint the sky.

“We make a good team,” Kabu laughs, touching his forehead to Key’s. “I never would have thought to come way out here without you.”

“And I would never have realized what I had been looking at earlier, without you,” Key adds.

A moment later, something bumps against Key’s ankle and makes them jump.

“Spheal?” The Pokemon barks, flapping its flippers together. Soon, a small troupe of them emerge from the water, all rolling around Key and Kabu, barking for attention.

Kabu and Key laugh in surprise and amusement, then sit on the sand, allowing the round Pokemon to nestle in beside them and on their laps.

“This is the kind of crowd I like,” Key chuckles, petting one of the Pokemon.

“Me, too,” Kabu agrees, and leans his head on Key’s shoulder to watch the show in the sky.


	9. Mentor (Ru/Leon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 Prompt: Mentor  
> Characters: Ru/Leon  
> Rating: Teen  
> Warnings: None  
> When it comes to Pokemon battles, Ru has the best mentor in the world - her partner, Leon. Under his tutelage, she feels like she should be able to do anything - except that's clearly not the case.  
> Ru belongs to the very lovely Jynx! You can follow Jynx for some excellent art and stories of Ru and Leon at bluethealpha on Tumblr and Twitter!

“Leon, I’m just - I’m not sure about this,” Ru sighs, one hand on Laika’s head. The Houndoom barks once, nestling closer to her owner, sensing her anxiety.

“You’ll be with us, Ru, it’ll be okay,” Leon smiles, gesturing at his Charizard. Charizard roars and stretches his wings, feeling the brisk wind against them.

“I know,” Ru sighs, taking Leon’s hand. The past several days, they’d ventured out into the Wild Area together, taking on small opponents, like roaming Pokemon and even a Trainer or two. Ru would be lying if she said it hadn’t been fun - she’d genuinely enjoyed the battles she’d shared with Leon. “It’s just - it’s going to be different, with Dynamax Pokemon there.”

“There’s Dynamaxed Pokemon at all of my matches, Ru,” Leon reminds her gently. “And weren’t you the one who said that my matches were part of what inspired you to want to get back into battling?”

“I know,” Ru frowns, then shakes her head to clear it. “You know what - you’re right. Laika, Charizard, you’ve both got my back, right?”

Laika makes a whining noise and nuzzles Ru’s hand. Charizard, for his part, roars, and strikes the Charizard pose.

Well, that was as strong an endorsement as anyone could get.

“What do you think?” Leon asks her, one hand outstretched to her. “We’ll _all_ be here for you. But if you don’t want to go -”

“No,” Ru says, steeling her nerves. “I want to do this. I know we can all do this.” With a determined smile, she takes Leon’s hand, and they set off into the Wild Area together.

* * *

“Okay - if you see a trickle of red Galar Particles into the air, that tells you there’s a Dynamax Den nearby,” Leon explains as they walk together. North Lake Miloch glitters before them, and Ru takes in the scene with a smile. If she hadn’t gotten up the nerve to try to fight a Dynamax Pokemon, she’d never have been able to enjoy this beautiful day in quite the same way, and that feels intensely rewarding, in and of itself.

“Got it,” Ru nods, scanning the landscape before her. Charizard and Laika are of no help; the two bound along over the grassy hills together, playing a sort of tag where Laika tried to catch Charizard, and Charizard occasionally hovered just out of reach in mid-air. But, just past Charizard’s tail, she thinks she sees something - and it’s not far away, either. “Wait - Leon, you mean, like that?” She asks, pointing towards the faint red light. Maybe it’s just a trick of the sun - or maybe it’s something more.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Leon exclaims once he sees what Ru’s pointing at. “Laika! Charizard! To us - we’ve got a Dynamax opponent waiting for us!”

Ru and Leon set off, still hand in hand as they run along, and Ru feels her heart soar.

She’s going to do this - take on her fear, with her amazing partner at her side, and become an even stronger person because of it.

Except, as she approaches the area where the Den must be located, she feels the air shift. It’s hard to describe, exactly, but there’s a palpable energy, a tension, in the air. It’s as if the very molecules she’s breathing are thrumming with some sort of overt power, and it only gets worse, heavier, more oppressive the closer to the Den they approach.

It’s exactly the same sensation the air would take on when an Ultra Beast was nearby, back in Alola. The air had been hotter, more humid, there, but it, too, had nearly crackled with the same intangible power when Ru had been forced to take on those horrendous monsters. And monsters is truly the correct word for them - they had each been atrociously aggressive, and uber powerful, no matter what kind of Type they were.

And she’d had to face them, alone, and her world had nearly ended so many times.

Ru’s throat begins to close in on her, and she can barely coordinate her legs; half of her is back in Alola, reliving the worst days of her life.

The days that had stopped her from wanting to battle entirely.

Despite the odd power in the air, Laika is attuned to Ru, as always, and moves to her side, even as Ru begins to slow to a stop. Laika nuzzles her hand, whining, and circles her, intending to keep her in place.

The realization that even her own Pokemon doesn’t want her getting any closer to that Den hits Ru hard, and she takes a shuddering breath.

“I - I can’t,” she tells Leon. “It’s - I want to, but -”

Leon, for his part, has stopped beside her, and he approaches her cautiously. Laika lets him in to her protective circle, wary of his intentions, though apparently sensing no ill will.

“We don’t have to,” he says gently, his big hands finding their way onto her shoulders. Ru feels a couple tears leak out of the corners of her eyes as Leon pulls her into his larger frame, his strong muscles holding her gently.

“I don’t want to,” she admits.

“Then we won’t,” he murmurs, stroking her hair. “We don’t ever have to. Not now, not later. You’ve come so far already.”

“I know,” Ru says with a small sniffle. “I don’t want to let you down, though. You’ve sort of become my mentor in this -”

Leon laughs, shaking his head, and Laika sits by Ru’s leg, cocking her head with a whine. The pressure of her Pokemon, so close to her, is at least as reassuring to Ru as Leon’s body next to hers.

“Mentor? Here I was, hoping I was your partner,” Leon laughs, leaning down to press tender kisses over Ru’s eyelids.

“Well - of course you are,” Ru protests with a little laugh, wiping away her tears. “But you’ve been so kind to me recently, with how patient you’ve been and how much you’ve taught me. And I want to make you proud, you know?” Laika whines again, and Ru chuckles once more, shaking her head this time. “It probably sounds silly.”

Leon’s strong arms squeeze her extra tight, holding her to his chest.

“It’s not silly. It’s admirable,” he murmurs. “But Ru, I’m already proud of you. You’ve been through _so_ much already. Don’t you know how incredible I find you? I don’t need you to fight one more Dynamaxed Pokemon to prove your worth to me.” He pulls back and gazes deeply into her eyes as he says the words, and Ru swears she might tear up all over again.

“Thank you,” she murmurs back instead, and Leon smiles, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips. It’s warm and reassuring, and despite the energy that thrums through the air, it grounds Ru once more. “Can we keep hiking, though? It’s a beautiful day to be out.”

Leon kisses her again at this.

“As long as you can navigate us back home, sure,” he laughs, and soon, Ru’s laughing, too.

* * *

Fortunately, Leon hadn’t pressed the issue over the next week. Ru can’t help but feel incredibly grateful; if he’d asked her to try again, she can’t help but feel that she would have lost some of her trust in him. But though he’d brought up the incident to ask if she was doing okay after it, he had otherwise avoided the topic, only offering to take Ru to Wyndon Stadium if she wanted to do some one-on-one training with no Dynamaxing.

Ru had agreed, and they’d made a plan to swing by the Stadium tomorrow.

“It’s late,” Leon smiles, bringing a blanket and a cup of tea over to Ru, where she sits on their couch. He covers her and gives her a cup of tea. “What do you say we see if anything is good on, and we’ll worry about the details of what kind of training we want to focus on tomorrow?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Ru agrees, and grabs the remote. She flips the TV on while Leon goes to grab another cup of tea for himself, and then begins to browse through the channels.

A quick shot of a certain purplehead stops her dead in her tracks, though, and she presses the guide button to see what battle of her partner’s, exactly, she was watching.

_Relive the excitement of Leon’s Champion Cup battle against Raihan, the Dragon Tamer!_ The guide proclaims.

“Oh, no,” Leon laughs, taking a seat by Ru and snuggling up to her, pulling the blanket over his larger frame. “They’re playing my old battles on the League channel tonight, huh?”

“Yeah,” Ru grins. “I’m actually kind of curious to see this one, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s not my best fight,” Leon laments. Ru takes a sip of her tea and quirks one eyebrow at him.

“You won it, though, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but -”

“Shh,” Ru teases him, and Leon chuckles but otherwise falls silent, leaving the commentators to fill the airspace.

“And Leon makes an interesting decision here,” one of them is saying. “Instead of leaving Aegislash on the field, he’s recalling his Pokemon, and - oh, it looks like he’s choosing Dragapult to take on Raihan’s Goodra. Why is he sending out a Pokemon weak to Goodra’s Dragon Typing, I wonder?”

“It’s important to note that Goodra will also be weak to Dragapult,” a second commentator observes.

“What were you thinking here?” Ru asks, her voice contemplative. “Did you just know that Dragapult would be stronger than Goodra by that much, that the Type disadvantage was worth the Type advantage at the same time?”

“No,” Leon says, with a small chuckle. “This was actually a bit of a gamble, but one that paid off, in the end. I hadn’t seen Raihan’s Goodra use a true Dragon-Type move in about four months, at that point - everything was either Water or Electric-Type. Plus Sludge Bomb, once, I think. If she truly didn’t know any Dragon-Type moves…”

“Then you weren’t at a disadvantage at all. You only had the advantage,” Ru realizes.

“Yeah,” Leon says, putting his arm around her and smiling at the TV. “Sometimes it’s not just all about following the typical rules of what’s best to do in a battle. You’ve got to know your opponent - and yourself.”

On the floor, Charizard lets out a quiet huff of agreement. He’s curled up back to back with Laika, but both Pokemon are watching the match with interest.

Truthfully, for not being Leon’s best fight, it’s truly entertaining to watch. Ru continues to ask Leon little questions about why he’d chosen one move versus the other, or how he’d predicted an attack or a switch coming in, and Leon is happy to explain. Sometimes, the explanation involves almost a superhuman level of knowledge of Pokemon, but more often than not, Ru finds she’s able to follow - and appreciate - Leon’s knowledge.

And then the Dynamax song begins to play, and the crowd chants and claps in time with the beat.

“We can change the channel,” Leon offers, but Ru shakes her head.

“I want to see this,” she realizes.

Charizard raises his head to see the TV better, and Laika raises hers, watching Ru carefully. But, Ru realizes, she’s not afraid, here. The Pokemon she’s seeing Dynamax on the screen is lounging just feet away from her.

He’s not so scary. He’s strong, sure, but he’s her friend.

Charizard turns to follow Laika’s gaze, looking to Ru with concern in his eyes.

Ru’s not sure she’s ever seen Charizard look at her quite like that, and in that moment, she’s certain that the Pokemon would willingly use all the strength he possessed to protect her, the same way he’d protect - and fight for - Leon.

Charizard Gigantamaxes on screen while Duraludon does the same, and Ru watches, fascinated. The Pokemon begin to do battle, their attacks enormously powerful -though each is careful not to hurt their Trainer, or their opposing Trainer.

The beauty of Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing, Ru realizes, is that its power is used in a way completely different than how the Ultra Beasts had wielded their power.

Maybe the two weren’t so similar after all.

* * *

Wyndon Stadium is a Power Spot, of course. Ru’s acutely aware of this, and she’s been turning one idea over in her mind since last night.

“Leon,” she gasps, sweaty from doing laps around the pitch. Leon had put her through the paces this morning, doing every step of training alongside her; they’d had Charizard and Laika practice dodging physical attacks, thrown Flamethrowers at little fire-resistant targets, tackled dummies, and, of course, the humans themselves had done plenty of exercise, too. “Let me catch my breath a moment.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Leon smiles, pausing beside her. He’s not sweaty - not in the gross way, at least. His sweat covers his body, coating his muscles in a way that actually makes him look sexier than usual. “Once you’re good to go, I was thinking we could do a few wind sprints for both ourselves and the Pokemon, then a couple more rounds of target practice, and then wrap up with a cool down. Sound good to you?”

“Actually,” Ru pants, standing up. “I was wondering if we could try one more thing. You’re allowed to say no if it’s not something you’re comfortable with, though,” she adds quickly.

“Try me,” Leon says, flashing her a dazzling smile.

“Well,” Ru smiles, and then decides to shoot her shot.

* * *

Within fifteen minutes, Ru’s standing on one edge of the cleared-off pitch, Leon’s Dynamax band on her wrist and Charizard’s Pokeball in one hand. She’d been tempted to use Laika - and she probably would, next - but knowing that Charizard had done this day in and day out - during the heat of battle, no less - just made things a little mentally easier on her, somehow.

“You got this,” Leon says, one hand on her shoulder.

The Dynamax Band pulses with power on Ru’s wrist, and though it feels the same as the power in Alola, it’s….different, somehow. It feels like Charizard. It feels like Leon.

It feels like home.

Ru summons up her strength and taps into that power mentally, holding up Charizard’s Pokeball. To her surprise, the power in her wrist runs through her, like an electric current, and into Charizard’s ball.

Which turns into an enormous, glowing red Gigantamax ball.

It’s surprisingly heavy, and Ru almost has to use two hands to throw it - but only almost.

The ball spins through the air, and Charizard erupts out, enormous and fierce. The air and the band around her wrist crackle with more power - but this time, she’s not afraid.

She’s safe.

Leon whoops by her side.

“You did it, Ru! C’mon! If this isn’t a Champion Time, I don’t know what is!” 

Ru laughs and turns to him, pulling him into a hug.

“What do I do now?” She laughs. Leon picks her off her feet and swings her in a circle.

“The only thing you can do! Tell him to use a move, and do the Charizard move!” He grins as he puts her down.

Ru smiles, and turns up to Charizard.

“All right, you heard him! Charizard, let’s use G Max Wildfire!”

Charizard roars, and flames erupt around Ru as she strikes Leon’s trademark pose. Being in the midst of a Max Move is a little different than watching it on TV, and for a moment, she’s a bit nervous. But Charizard is careful to protect her and Leon, and truthfully, it’s actually a little cool to see what he can do.

She can’t wait to try this with Laika next.


	10. Silence (Guzma/Cardinal)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 10 Prompt: Silence  
> Characters: Cardinal/Guzma  
> Rating: Teen  
> Warnings: Mild language, mention of injuries and bodily harm to a character  
> Guzma's recovering from severe injuries, and Cardinal is determined to help him. The only trouble is, he won't talk to her.  
> Cardinal is truly too good, too pure for this world, and she belongs to the wonderful Siren! You can follow Siren for more Cardinal content (plus their other excellent OCs) at HighTideSiren on Twitter!

“This might sting,” Cardinal murmurs, holding up a swab doused in alcohol. The muscles in Guzma’s arm tighten at the sight, but he otherwise doesn’t acknowledge anything she’s said.

Which, truthfully, has been pretty much par for the course, so far.

Cardinal touches the swab to one gash on Guzma’s arm - a gash which hasn’t improved much over the past couple days. When she’d seen Guzma being beaten, she had expected bruises, maybe even broken bones. Whatever had been brought out to give him this implied something far more sinister; it certainly doesn’t look like he’d just cut himself on a rock.

Guzma sucks in a breath as contact is made, and Cardinal tries to move the swab carefully, though she knows she can’t baby him too much - she has a job to do, after all.

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “I know this must really hurt. I just have to get this clean, or else it’ll wind up infected.”

Guzma snorts through his nose at this, but otherwise doesn’t respond. Again.

Well - not that Cardinal can complain, really. He’d apparently refused to allow the nurses at the Pokemon Center to touch him, though when she’d asked why, he hadn’t told her that, either.

“You probably should have gotten this stitched up,” Cardinal frets, trying to flick out a piece of dirt that really should _not_ still be in his wound. It finally does come out, but the edges of his wound aren’t fully healed, and they open up easily. “Ah - shoot, you’re bleeding again. Hang on,” Cardinal says, setting the alcohol-doused swab down and picking up a gauze sheet. She doubles it up and presses it over the bleeding spot. “We’ve got to put pressure on this - here, can you hold this, and I can keep cleaning your cuts?”

Cardinal half expects Guzma to ignore her entirely, but he actually does reach over and press his hand to the gauze piece. His fingers brush hers, and Cardinal feels the slightest tingle of excitement ripple through her, though she knows it shouldn’t. He’s hurt, and she’s helping him - now is the wrong time to get any ideas.

Though, truthfully, she’s been interested in Guzma for a while, at this point. Their paths had crossed how many times, so far, and yet he managed to stay an enigma to her.

She had often wished she could change that somehow - just not like this.

“Hey, you can hear me after all,” Cardinal decides to tease him instead, a playful smile on her lips.

Guzma turns to her with a scowl on his face.

“I’m hurt, not deaf,” he snarls, then turns away from her again.

“I - I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything rude,” Cardinal squeaks, more than a little taken aback. “It’s just - I - I’m used to…” she’s about to say she’s used to people actually speaking back to her when they’re spoken to, but even that could sound rude, and the poor man _is_ terribly hurt. He deserves to be treated with kindness. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” Cardinal concludes. “This is gonna keep stinging,” she says, picking up her alcohol swab again and starting in on Guzma’s many other scrapes and wounds.

The only signs of pain that Guzma shows are occasional sharp breaths. Otherwise, he’s gone back to being completely silent.

Finally, Cardinal finishes up her work; everything is looking good so far, with no infections brewing.

Not that that meant much - he was still too injured, to hurt, to walk. He’d quite probably broken something in his foot and perhaps his ribs, from what Cardinal can tell, but again, he had refused all treatment stubbornly.

And, from what the nurses had said, he was barely eating, too.

An idea hits her out of the blue.

“Do you like malasadas?” She asks.

Guzma again doesn’t reply, but the way his eyes widen just a little tells her the answer.

* * *

Three big malasadas should be more than enough to fill up someone like Guzma, right? Cardinal crosses her fingers mentally as she pushes her way back into his room, the piping hot pastries in a little brown baggie. Guzma is laying in his bed, looking listlessly out the window, but he jumps as she enters the room. His head whips around and his gaze settles on Cardinal - and then, to her surprise, he actually relaxes.

“If you don’t like malasadas, you should have spoken up earlier, because I bought you three of the biggest ones they had,” Cardinal smiles, setting the bag down on his lap. “I got myself one, too, so we can eat together. I can’t really resist them, anyway…once I walk into the store and smell them, I’m pretty much done for.” She smiles and pulls out her malasada, taking a seat herself.

“Who says I want to eat with you?” Guzma snaps, a scowl across his features. Cardinal pauses before taking a bite of her food, and brings herself to meet his eyes.

They’re so angry - and there’s so much hurt there.

And yet, she’d seen him relax when he’d realized it was just her coming into his room. She can’t give up on him. She knows, from their brief interactions, that there’s more to him than just this.

“You can eat after I go, too, I guess,” Cardinal responds carefully. “I’m going to eat mine while it’s still hot, though. Malasadas are always better warm.”

Guzma snorts, but doesn’t respond, and he doesn’t go to take a bite of his food, either.

Cardinal eats her malasada quietly, wondering if bringing him the food had just been a waste. As she finishes the pastry, though, she notices Guzma’s eyelids starting to droop. He’s trying to look tough and alert - his arms are folded across his chest, and he’s elevated the head of the hospital bed so he’s propped up - but he’s literally falling asleep sitting up.

He must be tired, and he must feel terrible overall, Cardinal considers. She decides to let him have his peace and quiet, and ducks out of the room without another word. As she closes the door carefully, she hears a quiet snore escape Guzma, and she smiles to herself.

He thinks he’s tough, but he’s kind of cute, too. If only he’d let his guard down.

* * *

When Cardinal returns the next day, the malasadas are all gone, and though the nurses can’t confirm that Guzma had eaten them himself, there _are_ a couple suspicious crumbs on his bedsheets, and it looks like the only thing in his trashcan is the crumpled up paper bags.

“Morning,” Cardinal smiles. Guzma frowns at her. “Enjoy the malasadas?”

He still doesn’t answer her.

When Cardinal goes to check him over today, she’s pleased to find that some of the smaller scrapes are nearly healed up. The big gash on his arm is still fragile and begins to bleed while she cleans it. Cardinal apologizes again, but the most she gets out of Guzma is his hand again putting pressure on the bleeding spot.

“Are you sick of malasadas, since I brought you some yesterday?” She asks as she packs the first aid supplies up, expecting no reply.

“No,” Guzma actually answers her, and Cardinal nearly jumps out of her own skin. Guzma notices, and quirks an eyebrow at her silently.

“You startled me,” Cardinal laughs. “I wasn’t expecting you to answer.”

“You talk a lot to yourself, then?” Guzma sneers. Cardinal laughs harder at this.

“Only when I’m with you,” she grins. “Let me go get some more malasadas, then. I’m starving, so you must be, too.”

* * *

The next few days follow largely the same pattern - Guzma stays mostly silent, except for a couple sassy remarks, and Cardinal helps him however she can, then brings them both some food. After the third day, malasadas grow old for her, so she starts bringing back different foods - saimin, poke bowls, rice with stir fry. Guzma begins to pick at his food while she’s around, and Cardinal can’t help but feel oddly as if she’s managed to get a wild Pokemon to trust her.

Guzma allows her to wrap his ribs, which really probably are broken if the bruises blossoming over his skin are any indication, and once the nurses find some crutches to help him get around, Guzma actually tries getting up and walking, too. He’s a bit of a menace on crutches, and nearly falls or runs into things about three times before he’s even across the room, but Cardinal is happy to see how far he’s come.

“Keep it up and you’ll be back to hanging out all around Alola again in no time!” Cardinal laughs. To her surprise, though, the slight scowl on Guzma’s face turns into a deep frown again.

“You mean menacing Alola?” He snaps, his eyes narrowed. “It’s fine, I know what you think of me. Everyone does -”

“I don’t,” Cardinal says quietly, but Guzma only huffs and rolls his eyes, returning back to bed. “I’ve wanted to get to know you better for a while, now,” she admits, feeling incredibly vulnerable as she says the words.

But Guzma only lays down and turns his back to her. Within a few minutes, his breathing begins to come rhythmically, little snores escaping him now and then.

Cardinal purses her lips; she might not have won that battle, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still win the war. And what better way to a man’s heart than through his stomach? She could really go for some saimin again, in all honesty, or even some sushi, and with that thought, she prepares to head out.

But as she opens the door to leave Guzma’s room, someone else opens it to enter - and two nurses step inside.

“Can I help you?” Cardinal asks, feeling oddly protective of the surly man. If Guzma didn’t want them near him, he deserved to have his wishes respected - especially considering how poorly he’d been treated by the nurses when Cardinal had brought him to the PokeCenter. They’d tried to refuse him treatment based on who he was, and what he’d done, and had only caved when Cardinal had made a scene and made it clear who, exactly, they were.

“We’re here to speak with Guzma,” one of the nurses says. Cardinal’s aware that, behind her, the snoring noises have stopped, and Guzma is probably awake but listening.

“He’s doing well, lately, and it’s about time we discharge him to go home,” the second nurse says, holding a clipboard in front of her. “Would you be willing to help us answer just a few questions about his home status before we discharge him Are you - his partner?”

Guzma snorts at this, sitting up.

“Not at all,” he says, eyes narrowed at the nurses. “We’re not even friends. And I don’t _have_ a home to go back to, so no questions for me.”

“Wait - how do you figure he’s okay enough to go home, exactly?” Cardinal asks, stepping between the nurses and Guzma. “He’s barely eating, he was on IV fluids until just a couple days ago, he’s taken maybe twenty steps with crutches at the most, and he’s _still_ exhausted after the littlest things!” Cardinal feels her fists ball up at her side; Guzma still clearly needed a lot of care - surely, she could make the nurses see that.

The second nurse purses her lips.

“I understand that, to you, it seems as if he’s still very fragile - but while he is weak, he’s no longer critically injured. We’re confident that he doesn’t need constant assessment and monitoring anymore,” she says, trying to sound gentle. “Frankly, we usually discharge patients once they’re mobile and eating and drinking on their own. But if you really don’t have a home to go back to, that certainly complicates things, and can be used to justify keeping someone for a few more days while living arrangements are worked out…”

“Well, he needs that time,” Cardinal insists. “Both to heal, and to figure out where he can go. So.”

The first nurse frowns, her eyes flickering over to Guzma. Cardinal’s heart plummets as she waits for Guzma to interject and say something to contradict her - but he never does.

“Very well,” the second nurse agrees, making a few notes on her clipboard. “A few more days it is. We can schedule a social work consult, too, if that would be helpful in finding a place to stay?”

“I’ll let you know,” Guzma grumbles, then waves the two nurses out. They don’t put up a fuss, clearly no more excited to be around him than he is to them. Once the door closes behind them, Cardinal lets out a breath she hadn’t been aware she’d been holding.

“What was that?” Guzma asks, though for once, his voice isn’t scathing. It’s confused and sharp, and when Cardinal raises her eyes to him, he’s still frowning - but all of the venom is gone.

“What do you mean?” Cardinal asks, not really sure how to answer his question.

“You standing up for me and trying to, what, be the big hero, or something? That’s what you’re used to being, right?” He asks, his frown deepening.

“Wait - what?” Cardinal says, shocked. “No - I’m not trying to be a hero! I just think it’s wrong of them to try to kick you out when you’re in no shape to live on your own,” she protests, gesturing vaguely at the crutches and all the first aid supplies.

“Yeah, it’s wrong. A lot of things people do to me are wrong. What’s it to you?” Guzma presses.

“It - they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it. You deserve to be treated better,” Cardinal says honestly, not sure how else to explain what she’s feeling. “If they’re not going to respect you as a human being, then of course I have to try to step in. It’s not about being a hero to me, you know? It’s just about making sure that someone isn’t treated as subhuman.”

Guzma sucks in a deep breath, and glances away.

“You think that’s being treated as subhuman? You don’t know the half of it,” he says, his voice breaking a little as he says the words. Cardinal’s eyes widen, and a moment later, she moves to Guzma’s side, reaching for him tentatively. His shoulder is warm under her hand, and he doesn’t pull away, to her surprise.

“I probably don’t,” she admits. “Is that why you haven’t wanted to talk to me, all this time? Because you thought I was just someone trying to be a hero, maybe just in it for the PR spin I could get out of it or something?”

“No - it - it’s not just that,” Guzma says, biting his lip a little as he speaks. The change in him is so significant, it’s shocking. “All my life, you’ve been a thorn in my side.”

“I’ve only known you for, like -” Cardinal starts, but Guzma shakes his head.

“I know. But I’ve known _about_ you since you became Champion, and my so-called dad would tell me day in and day out that I needed to be more like you. He made me feel like shit every hour of my life because I was nowhere near your level, you know? Then I think I’m rid of you once I grow up and move out, start Team Skull, do something completely for myself and try to help the people around me who are struggling, too. But then you show up here, and fuck everything up. And now everyone hates me, and it’s because of you. I’m supposed to, what, want to be best friends with you after that? Be super excited about the chance to trust you?”

Cardinal is silent for a long moment.

“I didn’t know,” she says finally. “About any of it. I didn’t know, and I didn’t ever mean to fuck things up for you -”

“I know,” Guzma interjects, putting his head in his hands. “That makes it worse, somehow, you know? I wasn’t even on your radar for most of my life. It’d almost feel easier if I had been. But I was a nobody, and you were the Champion, and now I’m just the kind of guy that people want to push away and have nothing to do with - or kick the shit out of, apparently. And you’re _still_ the girl who was Champion, who gets her way all the time.”

“I can leave, if this is all too much for you,” Cardinal offers quietly, beginning to stand. But Guzma raises his head and shoots one hand out, encircling her wrist in a quiet hold.

“No - please,” he says, and there’s such desperation in his eyes that Cardinal takes a seat again, putting one hand on his shoulder. “If you leave, I’ll have nobody.”

“Okay,” Cardinal says, pulling him closer to her. “I’m here. I won’t leave.”

A long silence stretches out between the two of them, but this time it feels completely different from all the silences they’ve shared before.

“I’m sorry,” Guzma finally says. “I know that none of this was your fault. You never made my dad say those things to me, and you were only trying to do what you thought was right for Alola. I was trying to do what I thought was best for Team Skull, too - I just didn’t see the truth of what was unfolding before me. You’re not a bad person, you know?” His eyes slide over to her as he says the words, and Cardinal feels a smile spread across her lips.

“You’re not so bad, yourself,” she offers, squeezing Guzma’s shoulders gently. He returns her smile hesitantly, and Cardinal feels her heart fill with emotion.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Now - how do you feel about sushi for dinner?”

Guzma’s eyes widen.

“How’m I supposed to pay you back for all this stuff?” He asks with a small shake of his head.

“Just give me a chance at being your friend,” Cardinal says simply, though she can’t help but hope that someday, they might be more. “That’ll be enough for me.” To her delight, Guzma nods.

“Yeah. All right. I can live with giving you a chance. Not like you’ve given me a choice with how much you’ve been hanging out around here, anyway,” he snarks teasingly, and Cardinal laughs.

“You’re pretty much stuck with me,” she affirms.

When she leaves to go get food, she finds herself earnestly looking forward to being back in Guzma’s room with him. She has so much she wants to talk about and so much she wants to learn about him, now that the silence between them is broken.


	11. Craft (Coralie/Roark)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11 Prompt: Craft  
> Characters: Coralie/Roark  
> Rating: Gen  
> Warnings: None (a couple puns in here tho, so...)  
> Buying anniversary presents is easy in theory - but it's hard when everything is expensive. What's a girl to do?  
> Coralie belongs to the wonderful and HILARIOUS KJ! Seriously, KJ's little comics are all absolutely gold and have endeared me to Roaralie 1000%. Go check their art out and follow them at arcadekore on Twitter!

Coralie almost doesn’t notice the little mark she’d put on the calendar - but only almost.

“Next Thursday?” Coralie says into the Rotom Phone. On the other end, the Pokemon groomer in Hearthome City confirms the date. “Okay, I could do….let’s see, would 10AM work?”

It’s only as the groomer confirms that 10AM would work fine that Coralie’s eyes drift over the calendar. There’s a little heart and arrow she’s drawn over the next Friday, and her eyes actually widen as she realizes what the symbol means.

It’s her and Roark’s anniveresary next week, and she’s been so worried about getting Corsola’s nubs scrubbed and polished that she’d almost forgotten.

“Thank you so much,” she tells the groomer, who thanks her, then hangs up. Although Cora feels a little guilty for letting their anniversary slip her mind, she keeps it at that - just a little bit of guilt. After all, she’d had their anniversary in mind nearly all month, so far; she’d only forgotten for a few days because she had such a long to-do list. 

But, when it comes down to it, she already has the perfect gift in mind.

“Who was that?” Roark asks, stepping into the room and leaning on the counter. He’s wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, rolled up to show off his forearms, and Cora tries not to swoon at the sight of her boyfriend’s muscular arms.

“Groomer Has It - you know, the Pokemon groomer over on the northeast side of Hearthome,” Cora answers, hoping her expression doesn’t give away any hints of how excited she is to get Roark his anniversary present. She can do it while she’s out at the groomer’s, she figures.

“Oh? Does somebody need some work?” Roark asks, eyebrows raising in mild surprise.

“Yeah,” Cora nods. “Corsola put on a couple inches of new growth, actually, and some of it has those really deep grooves.” In their natural habitat, quick-moving water currents combined with some sand from the ocean floor would soon smooth the grooves out - but here, on land, there’s little to produce the same effect. If left unpolished, dirt and grime could accumulate, and cause an infection. “You know how it is with those - don’t want to leave them alone for too long.”

“Well, I’m glad you noticed them, then,” Roark smiles, approaching Coralie with both arms outstretched. He slides them onto her waist, and pulls her into his body, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. “You’re always so good about that kind of thing.”

“You think so?” Coralie asks, feeling a blush creep across her face. Roark chuckles, and kisses her again, this time on the lips.

“I know so,” he says with a soft smile at her. “You’re so good to your Pokemon - and to me.” Coralie puts one hand on his cheek, pulling him down into another kiss, this one a little deeper. After a moment, the two pull back for air, and Roark’s smile grows as he gazes at her. “Hey - did you know our anniversary is coming up soon?”

Coralie thanks Arceus that she realized this just before he asked; otherwise, the surprise would be plainly evident on her face.

“Yeah! I was actually thinking I was going to do a little bit of solo shopping while Corsola gets polished, so I can get you your gift,” she says, beaming up at her boyfriend. Roark touches his forehead to hers, holding her extra tight.

“You don’t have to get me anything , you know,” he says.

“I know - but I want to,” Cora smiles up at him. Roark blushes at her words.

“You’re so sweet. I’m really excited to get you your gift, too, you know,” he murmurs.

Cora’s mind races as she begins to wonder what Roark has planned for her. Whatever it is, she’s sure it’s going to be amazing.

* * *

After Cora drops Corsola off at Groomer Has It, she hurries over to the one place she knows Roark frequents often - a little rockhound shop two blocks over called Rough Around the Edges. She actually lingers outside the building, trying to look in the windows as casually as possible to make sure her boyfriend isn’t inside - but the windows are awfully reflective, and in the end, Cora decides she’s just going to have to take the plunge.

A little bell rings as she steps inside the shop, and Cora scans the place quickly. There’s no sign of a certain auburn-haired man, and she lets out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding.

“Hello,” a woman behind the counter greets her, waving cheerily. There’s a couple other folks in the shop, most of whom are browsing, though it appears another lady is restocking some shelves. “Welcome to Rough around the Edges! Can I help you find anything?”

“Yeah, actually, if you don’t mind,” Coralie nods, approaching the counter. “My anniversary with my boyfriend is coming up soon, and I wanted to get him this thing he’s been talking about pretty much non-stop.”

“If it’s rock related, I’m optimistic we’ll have it,” the woman - Jade, according to her nametag - says.

“It’s definitely rock related. Rocks are pretty much his thing,” Cora laughs. “He’s been talking about a…hang on, let me double check so I get this right,” Cora murmurs, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. She’d written the name of the device down just a couple days ago, after Roark had mentioned it for the fifth time that week. “It’s a Makuhita brand portable diamond circular masonry saw,” Cora proclaims.

Jade’s eyebrows raise.

“Oh, those are top of the line,” she says, and Cora feels her stomach do a flip. Top of the line meant pricey - and she didn’t really have much extra cash to throw around at the moment. “But we do have a couple in stock. Here - I’ll show you.”

Cora follows the shopkeeper to a second, littler room, which has a variety of masonry saws and some other things Cora doesn’t recognize. Most of the saws are big, but there are a couple little, portable ones.

“Right here,” Jade says, pointing at one of three portable saws. “Makuhita brand, in the flesh.”

Cora reaches for the price tag nervously, turning it around. What she sees makes her grimace.

“Oh - well, thank you for showing me,” she says, trying to stay polite. “They’re very nice. It’s just…”

“Yeah, all of the portable saws are really expensive,” Jade nods, understanding what Coralie is getting at. “They’re wonderful for being able to carve out a very specific sample in the field, if you can afford the price tag, but most of us will have to stick to hand tools for the time being.”

“Yeah. I think my boyfriend will, too,” Cora laughs.

“Well, maybe you could get him some hand tools, then?” Jade offers, leading her back out to the front of the store.

“I don’t think he needs any. He just got carbide-tipped hand chisels,” Cora sighs.

“Does he have carbide-tipped hand _point_ chisels, too?” Jade tries.

“Yeah,” Cora says, scanning the store.

“Hardness picks?”

“Got him a set for his birthday last year.”

Jade tries a few more options - crack hammers, hammer sheaths, cases to carry his supplies, a rock tumbler, a jeweler’s loupe, polishing grit - but Roark has it all.

Finally, Jade caves.

“Hey - if you don’t mind me asking, who is your boyfriend, anyway?”

“His name is Roark -”

“I knew it!” Jade exclaims. “Almost nobody else has that much stuff, and he’s always talking about his blue-haired girlfriend!”  
Cora blushes at this.

“Wait, really?” She asks, a little flustered.

“Yeah, he’s head over heels for you,” the other woman who’d been stocking the shelves says. “You’re Coralie, right? I’m Jasper. Let me go get our dad - if anyone knows if Roark is looking for anything else, it’d be him.”

“Thanks,” Cora smiles. Jasper ducks out back, and Cora hears two doors shut behind her - she’s obviously gone to an employee-only area.

“You’ll find something for him. Even if it’s not here,” Jade says encouragingly, and Cora smiles.

“I know. I just - I really want to get him something he’ll value, you know?”

Moments later, an older man steps out.

“So you’re Coralie, hmm? Listen - I don’t have long because we’re getting a new shipment in, and I need to be out at the loading dock to supervise. But I do know that if there’s anything that Roark has been coveting, it’s some of the rare rocks that Kahuna Olivia finds - and sells - in Alola. She’s got a website - here, let me write it down for you,” he says, and Cora feels a bubble of hope.

* * *

Said bubble gets crushed relatively quickly, though, as she browses through Kahuna Olivia’s online store after dinner that night. Everything is _insanely_ expensive - and if it’s not expensive, Roark already has it.

If only there was something she could do with inexpensive rocks - like the kind you could find by rivers or streams or lakes.

Suddenly, an idea hits Cora, and she makes a mental note to pick up some craft supplies and to grab some of those wonderfully, blissfully common stones the next time she gets a chance.

* * *

By the time their anniversary rolls around, Cora’s actually pretty proud of herself. Assembling her gift under Roark’s nose, while escaping his notice, hadn’t been too easy - but she’d managed it, and it had actually come together pretty well.

“Before we eat,” Cora says, looking at the home-cooked meal they’d made together. It smells delicious and looks it, too. They’ve even found some candles, which set a decently romantic ambience. “I have a little something I want to give you.” 

On cue, Corsola comes hopping into the room, carrying Roark’s present wedged between her head spikes. It’s a little shadow box frame, and inside, it displays a few pebbles carefully placed so as to look like her and Roark, hand in hand. A reddish rock stands in for Roark’s head, and a blueish-gray for Cora’s - admittedly, there wasn’t much that was vibrant enough to match her true hair color, but she’s optimistic the effect is straightforward enough. The hardest part had actually been finding little slender rocks to represent their arms; she’d glued them on in such a way that it looked like the rudimentary figures were holding hands.

Next to the depictions of her and Roark, she’d made a recreation of his Onix (easier than expected) and her Corsola (harder than expected, given the color of rocks she’d needed to find for that one).

Roark lifts it in his hands, looking at it closely.

“I love it,” he says hoarsely, actual tears brimming in his eyes when he looks up at Cora. He sets it down and moves over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. He rocks with her for a moment, a gentle side-to-side swaying, and then he pulls back with a laugh. “I really love it, Cora. I’m gonna treasure it forever. Thank you so much. I, um, got you something, too. Mine is actually homemade, because…well…”

“Because everything is really expensive?” Coralie offers with a smile, and she and Roark both dissolve into laughter.

“Yeah, it really is,” he admits. “I, um, wanted to get you some jewelry, but - it’s definitely out of my reach right now. So I made you some, instead,” he says, holding out a small velvet box. Coralie takes it, blinking up at him and blushing, before she lowers her head and opens it.

To her surprise, there’s a beautiful white Shiny Stone inside, wire-wrapped to be a necklace pendant.

“I’m not the best at wire wrapping -” Roark says, but Cora shakes her head.

“I love it,” she says, echoing his earlier words. “And besides, I’m not the best at pebble gluing, either. This is so beautiful, Roark. I’m going to treasure it forever, too,” she says, pulling him into a deep kiss. After a long, lingering moment, they part, and Coralie turns the pendant over in her hands, admiring its opalescent qualities. “Hey, wait - I know this one. You collected it yourself, didn’t you?”

A shy smile lights up Roark’s face, and he nods.

“Yeah - I did,” he admits, and Cora feels tears prickle at her eyes this time.

“I love it even more now,” she says, swallowing down a lump in her throat. “Thank you so much, Roark. Would you mind putting it on me?” She hands the necklace back to him, and he takes it carefully from her.

“Of course,” he agrees. Cora turns her back to him, and moves her ponytail out of the way while Roark drapes the necklace over her. “You know,” she says, her fingers moving to touch her pendant as Roark does the clasp. “I think I like handmade gifts more than storebought, when they’re from you.”

She turns back to face Roark once the necklace is secured, and Roark’s eyes soften at the sight of her wearing his little creation. When Cora glances down at it, she’s pleased to see that it layers wonderfully with the choker around her neck.

“Me, too,” Roark says fondly, and pulls Coralie in for another kiss.


	12. Drip (Wallace/Riya)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 12 Prompt: Drip  
> Characters: Wallace/Riya  
> Rating: Explicit  
> Warnings: Explicit sexual content within!!  
> Skinny dipping with Sootopolis City's Gym Leader is an awful lot of fun.  
> FINALLY some NSFW in this collection, haha! Prepare for more to come. I think there's like, 3 more NSFW prompts, at minimum?  
> ANYWAY Riya is Mocha's OC! You may remember her from an earlier prompt with Steven Stone, but just in case, you can follow Mocha at shinyskarmorys on Twitter for more Riya content!!

To say the full moon looked stunning on Wallace’s silky hair would be an understatement, but Riya decides to say it anyway.

“Your hair looks gorgeous in the moonlight, you know,” she says, feeling her cheeks heat up at her honesty - and, perhaps, her cheesiness.

“My hair looks gorgeous all the time, thank you,” Wallace replies with a teasing smirk, flipping one long strand over his shoulder dramatically. Riya laughs and shakes her head, scooting to the edge of the rock the two of them are sitting on. Carefully, she drapes her legs over the edge, dipping her toes in the water. It’s somewhat chilly, but refreshing, and little ripples trail out from where her skin touches the glassy surface, making the stars reflected in the lake dance. “But,” Wallace adds, moving next to Riya and dipping his feet into the water, too, “I appreciate the thought that the ambiance adds a little more…flair to my style.” His eyes sparkle mischievously as he smiles sidelong at Riya, who snorts and splashes him playfully.

“How’s this for flair?” She asks, flicking a little more water onto him. Wallace pretends to be egregiously wounded, clutching his chest and falling sidelong into Riya’s lap.

“I cannot bear such injury,” he moans dramatically, the back of one hand pressed to his forehead. He drops the act abruptly, though, smiling up at Riya with a surprisingly thoughtful gleam in his eyes.

He’s up to something.

“What?” Riya asks, though she’s smiling down at him, too. If there’s one thing she knows, it’s that life with Wallace is never boring - and she loves him for it. Especially with Steven gone on one of his big expedition digs.

It’s silly, in a way, but she’s grateful she doesn’t have to be completely alone while he’s off adventuring. It’s good to have someone else she loves, someone else she can trust with her heart.

And Wallace had been similarly delighted at the thought of spending some time in Sootopolis together, alone.

“I was just thinking,” Wallace hums, reaching up to card one of his hands through Riya’s hair. “You look pretty stunning in the moonlight, yourself.”

“You’re sucking up to me,” Riya laughs, not quite trusting his suddenly pensive mood. But Wallace just shrugs and shakes his head.

“I’m not. You really do look lovely,” he murmurs. “I’m supposed to be looking at the stars over the crater, but all I want to see is you.”

Riya sucks in a breath at his words, and she feels her cheeks heating up.

“In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of you,” he says, a sly smirk spreading across his face.

“Oh? Should I just undress right here and now, then?” Riya asks, smirking in return. Not too far in the distance, the lights of Sootopolis City sparkle, reminding her that they were very definitely in a semi-public area.

“Sure,” Wallace says, lazily lifting the hem of her shirt up. Riya bats his hands away.

“We’re in _public_ , Wallace,” she chastises him. “You can wait until you get home to have me - can’t you?”

Wallace sits up at this and leans in close to Riya so he’s whispering in her ear.

“What if I can’t?” He asks, his breath warm on her skin and his voice husky. “Besides - you’ve heard of skinny dipping, haven’t you?”

Riya snorts at this.

“Of course I’ve heard of skinny dipping,” she says, then adds, almost as an afterthought, “I’ve just never done it.”

Wallace pulls back abruptly, and when Riya turns to look at him, there’s genuine surprise written all over his face.

“Wait - really?” He asks.

“Yeah, really,” Riya says, quirking one eyebrow at her partner. Most people hadn’t - right?

“Well - we’ve got to change that tonight,” Wallace decides, standing up and reaching one hand out. Riya takes it, and he pulls her to her feet effortlessly.

“What if someone sees us?” She asks, though her protest is somewhat feeble. Really, the idea of skinny dipping with Sootopolis’ infamous Gym Leader here, right in the city’s own lake, is a little…thrilling, in its own way.

“Then let them see,” Wallace shrugs, already pulling his deep low-cut v-neck shirt off his body. His toned torso catches the moonlight, and Riya’s resolve crumbles even further. Wallace watches her reaction carefully, then goes back to tugging at the hem of her shirt again. “I’m not going to beg,” he says, his voice a deep rumble in her ear. “So don’t get your hopes up for that. But I am going to tell you I’m pretty confident I could swim across the lake faster than you could.”

As much as she hates herself for it, Riya feels herself getting fired up at this simple statement.

“Is that a challenge?” She asks, her fingers taking her own hem back from Wallace.

“Definitely,” he says, and the way he eyes her makes her shiver.

“Fine. I’m going to kick your ass,” Riya decides, slipping her shirt off over her head.

“Only if I don’t kick yours first,” Wallace replies, his long fingers finding the clasp of her bra and helping her out of it.

* * *

The water of the Sootopolis lake is chilly at first, but Riya adjusts to it relatively quickly. Skinny dipping _is_ surprisingly thrilling; there’s an element of naughtiness which is only enhanced by seeing Wallace’s lean, elegant form following her in.

It doesn’t help that she catches a glimpse of his cock, and feels a rush of arousal at the thought of what is to come for her later that night.

“Still wanna race me?” Wallace asks, swimming out to her and pulling her close by her waist.

“We don’t have to if you’d just admit that you’d lose,” Riya offers, sneaking a kiss on Wallace’s lips in. He scoffs and pulls away.

“Forget it. The race is on,” he says, but there’s still a playful light in his eyes as he says the words.

* * *

Wallace gives Riya a run for her money, but she manages to keep things tied up between the two of them until the shoreline is in sight. Riya’s hot and breathing hard from the exertion, but the chill of the water slipping over every inch of her body helps cool her down significantly.

And then, suddenly, a Magikarp jumps out of the water. Riya manages to avoid it, and its arc instead takes it straight to Wallace, where it smacks him in the face.

Riya manages to turn enough while she’s swimming to make sure that Wallace hasn’t been knocked out, or anything - he’s simply flustered, trying to push the Magikarp away, all of his momentum - and elegance - gone. Within a few moments, he starts swimming again, but Riya knows she’s got the lead secured.

She does, in fact, reach the opposite shore first, and pulls herself up onto the rocks, being careful not to cut her hands or feet on any of the sharper edges. She’s breathing hard, but she manages to strike a triumphant pose, hands on her hips, as Wallace finishes up the last length of his swim.

He scrambles ashore a couple minutes later, and Riya smirks down at him while he stands up.

“You only won that because of that Magikarp,” Wallace challenges her, and though he’s at least partially serious, he’s also partially joking. Finally ashore, he stops paying attention to his handholds and glances up at Riya.

His eyes widen as desire flares through him. She looks amazing, completely naked and hands on her hips, confident in her victory.

“That Magikarp almost hit me, you know. Not my fault I could dodge it and you couldn’t,” Riya says with a triumphant smile.

“I’d ask if you’re always this cocky when you win,” Wallace says, stepping towards his partner and reaching for her waist. “But you know what? You can be if you look this enticing while you do it.” He pulls her body flush against his, and Riya wraps her arms around his shoulders automatically. Then, as her hips slot against his, she lets out a small gasp.

His cock presses against her lower stomach, already growing hard.

“Do you always get like this when you’ve been beaten?” Riya asks, trailing one hand down Wallace’s toned chest and abs, her fingers drifting lower and lower until they’re encircling his semi-hard length.

“Only for you,” Wallace purrs, rocking his hips forward into the friction of her hold. “I know you said earlier that I could wait until we’re both home to have you…but what if I just had you now, instead?”

Riya feels a surge of arousal at the thought.

“Okay, but I’m not laying underneath you on these rocks -” she protests, but suddenly, Wallace stoops, picking her up with his arms wrapped just underneath her hips.

“Who said anything about that?” He asks, beginning to walk forward. Riya holds onto his shoulders for balance as he moves, and it’s not long before he’s pressing her back lightly to the wall of the crater. With a little extra push under her hips to boost her up, Wallace hooks first one of her thighs over his shoulder, then the other.

“Wallace -” Riya gasps, one hand on the smooth rock behind her, the other on his head for purchase. 

But, with a smirk, the man puts his mouth to Riya’s core, his tongue delving between her folds.

Wallace takes his time, exploring Riya’s core, lapping at her entrance and pressing inside. He nips and suckles at her clit, and alternates between the two, until soon, Riya can feel her thighs trembling, squeezing Wallace’s head tightly.

“You like what I’m doing to you, don’t you?” Wallace grins up at her from between her thighs. Riya shudders and nods. “You dirty girl. Enjoying being tongue-fucked by Sootopolis’ Gym Leader just outside the city limits.”

“You’re the dirty one here,” Riya gasps. “If the people knew how their Gym Leader behaved -”

But then Wallace returns to her clit, doubling down in pressure and speed, and Riya’s words die in her throat, replaced instead by a cry of Wallace’s name. She tangles both of her hands into his hair, and holds him to her core like her life depends on it.

“Yes,” Wallace groans, the vibrations of his voice sending still more pleasure through Riya. “Come for me. Come on your Gym Leader’s mouth.” He begins moaning lewdly as he continues to work Riya’s pussy, knowing the effect the vibrations of his voice will have on her, and soon, she tips over the edge, wave after wave of pleasure hitting her as she moans and calls Wallace’s name.

Wallace continues to tease her through the first part of her high, then pulls back, watching his handiwork.

“This is quite romantic, in a way,” he smiles. Riya, thighs still shaking, quirks one eyebrow down at him.

“How so?” She asks, voice unsteady from her recent release.

“A midnight tryst by a star-filled lake…” Wallace says, batting his eyelashes up at her. Riya smirks.

“A girlfriend who kicks your ass in swimming, and in Pokemon battles…” she teases him, knowing it’ll get him riled up.

“And who loves submitting to the one who can fulfill her needs,” Wallace teases back, biting the inside of her thigh hard as he steps away from the wall, unhooking one thigh at a time from his shoulders. He slides her down his body, aligning her carefully until the tip of his cock prods at her entrance. “You love when I’m the one in charge, don’t you?”

“You know I do,” Riya moans, trying to use her legs to lower herself down onto her partner. Wallace catches what she’s doing, though, and smirks.

“Is there something you want?” He asks.

Stubborn bastard that he is, he’s going to make her say it out loud. Well - fine.

“I want you, Wallace,” she breathes. “I want you in me.”

“That’s it,” he says, pressing her back gently against the crater wall once more. He lowers her that final bit, sheathing himself within her, and Riya groans and bites his shoulder as he fills her. “You’re doing so good for me, so good,” Wallace breathes, both of his hands squeezing her ass tightly.

They stay connected together for a long moment, allowing for Riya to accommodate to Wallace’s size. The Gym Leader, for his part, presses a deep, hungry kiss to Riya’s lips, a soft smile on his lips as he pulls back for air.

“I do think this is really quite romantic, you know,” he murmurs.

“I suppose it is,” Riya agrees, and uses her legs to try to grind down onto Wallace just that little bit further. He takes the hint, and begins to move, rocking himself in and out of her slowly at first. But Riya’s thoroughly aroused and ready for him, and soon, she begins trying to move faster, setting a harsher pace. Wallace gets the hint and thrusts harder and faster, pressing more of his body weight into her and pinning her to the wall.

“You feel so good,” Wallace gasps, his lips peppering her neck in kisses and little bites.

“Faster,” Riya mewls in response. She can feel his lips smirk against her skin.

“Needy, are we?” He teases.

“You did this,” she retorts, and Wallace chuckles.

“I’m a bit pleased with myself, can’t lie,” he admits, and begins to move faster and harder.

Riya’s sure she’s sinking her fingernails into Wallace’s skin, leaving little marks that they’ll discover tomorrow, but it only seems to spur him on, his hips snapping forward and back so fast that Riya begins to see stars.

A few breathy moans and low grunts escape Wallace, and Riya begins to chant his name, begging him not to stop, to keep fucking her hard and deep.

Riya’s second orgasm hits her so fast, it’s almost a surprise, and her walls clenching down on Wallace’s cock becomes too much for him. He pulls out abruptly, spilling his seed all over Riya’s stomach and thighs.

The two lovers hold each other for a long moment, panting hard, their fingers digging into one another’s flesh as they come down from their high. Finally, Wallace lowers Riya, letting her feet touch the ground again.

“Skinny dipping isn’t usually this fun, you know,” Wallace sighs, his lips planting a gentle kiss to her forehead. Riya laughs.

“Then I’m glad I’ve done it with you,” she beams. “But I hope you’re not too tired.”

“Oh?” Wallace asks, arching one eyebrow. “A round two, perhaps?”

“No,” Riya snorts, gesturing back out at the Sootopolis Lake. “We’ve still got to swim back, you know.”

Wallace’s face falls, and Riya can’t help but laugh as he says quietly,

“Oh. Right.”


	13. Growth (Taylor/Leon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13 Prompt: Growth  
> Characters: Taylor/Leon  
> Rating: Teen  
> When Taylor's daughter comes home with a Pokemon she doesn't approve of, she has some reflecting to do.
> 
> It's been a while, but we're continuing with OC-Tober! Just at a slower pace than before. This fic is for Taylor and Leon - Taylor belongs to my friend Siren! You can find them at hightidesiren on Twitter or lowtidesiren on Instagram! Taylor is used here with permission. This is also, in a way, a bit of a follow up to my recent longer fic for Siren titled Heart of a Champion - if you want to read that, the link is under my profile!

“I don’t like it,” Taylor frowns, sitting down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Across from her, Leon looks up from his Rotom Phone, where he’d been reading the morning news.

“You don’t have to like it, you know,” he says gently, offering his wife a small smile.

Taylor takes a deep, steadying breath, looking out their window at the scenery. It’s a beautiful day outside, with Rookidee singing in the trees, Skwovet scurrying to and fro -

All sorts of harmless, ultimately adorable Pokemon are out there, just waiting for a Trainer to catch them and train them to their full potential. All of them will make excellent future partners, with the right love and care.

So why, in Arceus’ name, had her daughter, Lydia, decided to pick a Litwick for her first Pokemon?

“It literally absorbs people’s life forces, Leon,” Taylor says, exasperated. “The Pokedex says so. It _also_ says that its flame burns brighter the younger the life force is that it absorbs. How twisted is that?!”

“Okay - a lot of Ghost Pokemon do something vaguely like that, though, and there are plenty of people who manage to train them safely regardless,” Leon counters patiently.

“The Pokedex _also_ explicitly says that it tries to guide young children and be friendly with them, and then it leads them off into the spirit world,” Taylor observes, arching one eyebrow. Across from her, Leon withers.

“Okay. I’ll admit…that is, uh. Bad,” he stammers, clearly a bit taken aback. “I just don’t think there will be any separating Lydia from that Litwick. I think she’s grown attached to it already.”

Taylor sips at her coffee, then sets it down again.

“Of course she’s grown attached to it. That’s exactly what it wants. We’re her _parents_ , Leon, and that means we have to protect her from any threats - including Pokemon,” she says firmly.

“Yeah,” he says, rubbing at the back of his neck shyly. “But…the reality is, as she gets bigger, we can’t be there to protect her from everything. We weren’t there when that Haunter attacked her at the Watchtower, you know.”

Taylor feels her stomach drop, and her face draining of all blood.

A Haunter?

Their Licks could be paralyzing - and the Watchtower in the Wild Area literally swarmed with Ghost Pokemon like that Litwick who would love to suck Lydia’s life force dry while she was unable to escape.

“I didn’t hear about this,” she says, feeling her heart beginning to pound in her ears.

“She didn’t want to tell you,” Leon admits, reaching across the table to take Taylor’s hand in his. “Lydia was so worried that you would worry too much. She was worried I’d worry, too, but it kind of came out on accident yesterday.”

“Well - so what happened?” Taylor asks, feeling her eyes well up with tears. The thought of her baby girl, all along on the floor of that sinister stone building, unable to move -

“That Litwick happened. It stepped in and ran that Haunter off. That’s why she’s so in love with it, you know,” Leon says gently, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Taylor feels her tears spill over, trickling down her cheeks.

“Oh, Arceus, I had no idea,” she sobs, and Leon stands from his seat, walking over to her side. He helps her to her feet, and pulls her close to his chest, holding her tightly and rocking her gently.

“Shh,” he soothes her. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Lydia’s okay.”

“She could’ve -” Taylor begins, but before her sentence is fully out of her mouth, Leon interrupts.

“I know,” he says, his voice filled with tension and remorse. “This life-sucking hanging around her worries me as much as it worries you…but we have to trust that it’s not as malicious as we might think. Things aren’t always as they seem. You know that particularly well, right?” He asks, looking at Taylor closely.

“What does that mean?” Taylor asks, confused.

Leon smiles, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

“Well,” he chuckles. “Things weren’t exactly…natural between the two of us, at first. You certainly had your preconceptions about me, right?”

Taylor blushes, trying to wiggle out of Leon’s arms, but he only holds her tighter, nuzzling into her neck.

“Leon -” she laughs. “You’re tickling me -”

“I’m right, though,” he laughs back. “C’mon, think of it. You practically hated my guts at first for being the media sweetheart of Galar when I was Champion -”

“It wasn’t just that!” Taylor laughs, eventually giving up and leaning back against Leon. “The media had slaughtered me across several entire Regions - you know that!” There had been a time, once, where she had never imagined being able to laugh and talk about her downfall as Champion at the same time. The fact that she could, now, with her partner - it’s honestly incredibly to her. “It wasn’t just _you_. It was everything about….” she gestures vaguely.

“Everything about me?” Leon laughs, leaning down and kissing her quickly.

“No!” Taylor giggles, kissing him back. “Everything about the media.” She sighs, growing serious in his arms, and decides to tell him her thoughts. “You know, there had been a time, once, where I didn’t ever think I’d be able to stand thinking or talking about this and being okay with it. Actually, that time lasted for a while. Years.”

“And now?” Leon asks, his golden eyes sparkling gently.

Taylor leans against his strong chest.

“Now things have changed a lot. I’ve grown. It doesn’t hurt the same way it used to,” she murmurs. Leon holds her a little extra tightly, swaying from side to side.

“I’m glad. We’ve been through a lot, you know. That entire shitshow in Hoenn…those Shadow Pokemon,” he says, shaking his head. “That Scizor who almost killed you.” His voice lowers as he says the words, and Taylor tenses a little at the memory, reaching up to touch her head where it had thrown sharp metal at her deliberately, knocking her out.

If it weren’t for her Espeon and Leon -

She wouldn’t be here, and there would be no Lydia to worry over.

“We really got into a lot of trouble, didn’t we?” Taylor says, trying to lighten the conversation a little. Leon chuckles.

“Some of it wasn’t our fault, in all fairness. We were chosen to take that mission on by inter-regional authorities. But yeah. Yeah, we did get into an unbelievable amount of trouble. Compared to us, Lydia is an angel,” he chuckles.

“That’s true,” Taylor laughs. “She hasn’t even joined any teams aimed at destroying the world yet. She’s got time to follow in her mother’s footsteps, though.”

“I’m amazed that you can joke about that,” Leon says, stroking her hair.

“Honestly? Me, too,” Taylor admits. A long moment passes between them, and Taylor feels tension slowly leaving her body. “We’ve grown and changed a lot. And…” she sighs.

“And?” Leon prompts, pulling back to look Taylor in the eye.

“And I guess that means I should know that other people - and Pokemon - can grow and change and become more than they seemed to be at the start.”

Moments later, Lydia comes bounding downstairs, her little Pokemon behind her. Both Leon and Taylor pull away from one another, shocked.

“Does that mean I can keep my Litwick?” Lydia asks, her eyes wide. Taylor starts to cough and splutter, absolutely flabbergasted, but Leon holds it together, keeping the image of stern-but-gentle down pat.

“How long were you listening there, Lyds?” He asks.

“Long enough,” she says coyly. Leon deflates at this, shaking his head.

“She’s definitely your child, you know,” he says, glancing over to Taylor. His eyebrows raise in a way that clearly says _and you get to deal with her_.

Taylor recomposes herself, and sighs.

“Yes. You can keep your Litwick,” she says, and both Lydia and Litwick cry in excitement, jumping up and down in circles around one another. “But!” She says, interrupting the excited dance. To Taylor’s surprise, she has to struggle to contain a smile at the sight. “You,” she says, pointing to the Litwick. “No eating Taylor’s life force, okay? You’ll get good Pokemon food while you’re in our house, and that should do for you.”

“Lit!” The Litwick chirps, bobbing from foot to foot in joy.

“That’s good enough for me!” Leon says, and both Lydia and Litwick run off together, cheering and shouting.

“I’m gonna keep an eye on that ghost, though,” Taylor says, narrowing her eyes. To her surprise, Leon chuckles beside her and nods.

“Oh yeah. Definitely. Just…try not to read the Pokedex info on it anymore, okay?”

“That,” Taylor says, shuddering at the thought of some of the entries contained within. “I can definitely do.”


	14. Punishment (Kat/Nanu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 13 Prompt: Punishment  
> Characters: Katla/Nanu  
> Rating: Explicit  
> Content warning: Explicit sexual content in this chapter!  
> Kat knows how to tease Nanu and wind him up....but she won't escape his punishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow progress through these, everyone! Sometimes very slow - but hey, the important thing is everyone gets their fics (and we're almost halfway through, now!)
> 
> Katla belongs to ShadowPhoenixRider and is used here with permission! You can find more of her by following ShadowPhoenixRider under that handle on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3! :D

Katla sighs, watching Nanu lean back in his chair, holding the phone to his ear.

“I understand all of that,” Nanu says testily, his eyebrows furrowing and a familiar frown crossing his handsome features. “But as I’ve told you before, the details of who has jurisdiction in the Aether Paradise are fuzzy, at best. I can’t simply barge in there and _handle things,_ as you’ve so delicately put it.”

He’s been like this nearly all day, tied up on the phone with one official or another, and all because of that place out in the middle of the ocean. They claimed to be a paradise, but they certainly had more than their share of problems, and somehow, all of them had managed to become Nanu’s overnight.

This isn’t exactly how Kat had wanted her time with Nanu to go.

She’s here for a relatively short time, on break from her Gym Challenge in Galar, and every day with the man is precious. It’s only natural for her to feel a little bit of resentment towards the people on the other end of the line, right? After all, she’d tried to be patient all day. The storm outside on Route 17 is as bad as it can get, and she’d hardly had a chance to sneak out. Having to listen to Nanu being preoccupied literally all day long was beyond unfair. It was infuriating.

Kat opens her mouth to say something, but Nanu catches sight of her, putting one finger up and shaking his head no just the slightest bit. Kat clams up, but the gesture irritates her even further.

Still, though, she considers. She doesn’t have to say a word to put all of Nanu’s attention back on her.

As Nanu starts talking again to the person on the other end of the line, Kat approaches Nanu, moving his chair just slightly to allow herself to kneel in front of him, between his knees and the desk. Nanu’s red eyes darken as he frowns at her in confusion.

But a moment later, they widen in realization as Kat palms at the fabric covering his groin, licking her lips and staring up at him with big eyes.

Nanu keeps his composure, continuing to talk to the person on the other end of the line, even as Kat begins to grope his inner thigh with one hand, the other still palming at his groin.

Finally, Nanu ends his sentence and covers the receiver end of the phone.

“Kat, you can’t -” he hisses, but Kat simply laughs and rubs at him a little harder.

“I most definitely can,” she purrs. The look in his eyes worries her just a little, though, so she stills her hands for a moment. “If you want me to stop, though…I will.”

Nanu is silent for a moment; the only noise is the person on the other end of the phone, chattering angrily away.

“No,” Nanu finally murmurs, pushing his hips just a little further forward into her hands. “You don’t have to stop, so long as you know you’re not going unpunished for this tonight, you dirty girl.”

A thrill runs down Kat’s spine at his words, and a very satisfied smile crosses her features.

“That sounds good to me, big kahuna,” she says, giving him a salacious squeeze.

Nanu snorts and rolls his eyes, but leans back against the back of his chair once more, pressing his hips towards the front of the chair, where it will be easier for Kat to reach her prize.

And reach it she does. Kat palms at his groin more, then leans in, ghosting her lips along the fabric of his pants, right over where his cock is. He’s not hard just yet, but she can’t wait for him to be.

Nanu’s red eyes watch her almost unblinkingly as she continues to rub her lips over his groin. Kat returns his stare easily before pulling back, once again placing her hand over his clothed manhood and providing him with the friction he clearly desires.

Nanu uncovers the receiver end of the phone and begins to speak back to his caller in even tones.

“I understand your concerns,” he begins. “And I’m willing to work with you on this - but you need to understand why I’m telling you we need to go through the appropriate channels.”

Kat zones out a little as Nanu delves into some of the more intricate particulars of dealing with this situation, focusing only on the man in front of her. She can feel a slight bulge beginning to form where she’s palming him, and she skims her hands up higher, finding the fly of his black pants. She makes eye contact with him as she undoes the button she finds there, then pulls down his zipper.

Nanu continues to chatter away, a nonplussed expression on his face, though he does lift his hips obligingly as Kat shimmies his pants down. Deciding to tease him some, she leaves his boxers on; the man frowns as he realizes this, but otherwise makes no effort to correct - or punish - her.

That, she knows, will come later.

Kat practically purrs as she ghosts her fingers over Nanu’s hardening bulge, her other hand cupping beneath his fabric-covered balls. Nanu, ever-composed, barely even blinks as she begins stroking his length through his boxers - though, truthfully, she could swear she does see a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes.

Nanu continues to grow and harder under her ministrations, and Kat notices the way his chest begins to rise and fall just a bit more heavily. He’s enjoying himself after all - though he’ll never admit it, and certainly not while he’s on the phone.

“I wonder if I can make you lose that perfect composure of yours, Kahuna,” Kat murmurs.

On the other end of the line, Kat can hear someone asking Nanu if he’d said something.

“No,” Nanu replies, narrowing his eyes at Kat.

Undeterred, Kat leans in and ghosts her lips along the fabric directly over his cock, continuing to hold his hardened length at the base in one hand. Nanu’s breathing hitches just the tiniest bit at this, and his eyebrows inch up a little, but his poker face is otherwise undeterred.

How annoying.

Kat decides to step things up a little, and she hooks her fingers in the hem of Nanu’s boxers, baring him to her. Nanu smirks confidently as his cock springs free, and Kat wants, more than anything, to see that smirk wiped off his face as he realizes he won’t be able to contain himself while on the phone.

Kat wastes no time, gripping his cock at the base and pulling it close to her. She opens her mouth lewdly, licking up the underside of Nanu’s manhood, until she’s at his tip. Once there, she teases the head of his cock just a little with her tongue. Nanu’s breathing again hitches, and the hand not currently holding the phone finds its way to the back of her head.

Gently yet firmly, Nanu pulls her down onto his cock. Kat moves slowly but keeps her eyes on him the whole time. Once his tip prods at the back of her throat, she pauses, waiting; Nanu cocks his head at her silently, curious.

But then, in just a few short moments, Nanu’s turn in conversation comes up, and as he begins to speak, so, too, does Kat begin to move.

She grips him at the base, moving her hand in time with her mouth, as she slides up and down his length, neither too quickly nor too slowly at first. The sudden friction produces the desired effect, and Nanu makes a quiet grunt. He quickly covers it up by turning it into a throat-clearing sound, though, continuing to speak evenly.

Kat continues to slide up and down Nanu’s length, working her tongue into the action more and more. She knows how much Nanu loves it when she swirls around his head just right, or when she laps at the junction of his shaft and head, and she uses this to her full advantage, determined to build pleasure for the man and make his composure crack.

If she’s going to be punished, she wants to deserve it.

Kat works harder and faster, letting her free hand roam up Nanu’s body, slipping under his shirt. She works her way up the soft skin of his belly, running her fingers through his slight happy trail, then scratching gently at his skin when his hips buck into her involuntarily.

Finally, to her surprise, a grunt escapes Nanu’s lips. It’s low and quiet - easy enough to disguise or play off on the phone - but still, unmistakably, there. Kat doubles down on her efforts on his cock, half expecting a big hand to fist in her hair, holding her in place. Instead, all she gets is a lazy look from the kahuna as he says,

“Listen - I hate to interrupt you, but you’ve got all the details and we’re just going around in circles at this point. I’m going to hang up to take care of some things here and then to make the phone call to Interpol about all of this.” A pause as the person on the other end of line starts to say something. Nanu bucks his hips into Kat’s mouth, red eyes trained on her with a certain keenness as he drawls, “I’m going to hang up with you in five seconds. Yes, I’m serious. Five, four, three….”

Nanu counts down slowly, emphasizing each word with a thrust of his hips into Kat’s mouth. When he reaches one, he hangs the phone up exactly as he’d said he would, despite the tinny screams of protest Kat can hear on the other end of the line.

A moment later, a big hand _does_ fist in her hair, exactly how she’d expected it to.

“Well,” Nanu says, his tone dangerously low. “You must really want me to punish you. Green if you’re good, yellow if you need me to slow down, and red for stop work all right for you tonight?”

Kat licks lasciviously at the underside of Nanu’s cock as she pulls away from him, a smile on her face. Nanu shudders just the slightest bit underneath her - finally, she’s getting somewhere with him.

“That sounds fine,” Kat says, pressing a kiss to the tip of his cock.

“Good,” Nanu breathes, a glint in his eyes as he takes a deep breath in. “Then what color would you be if I said I wanted to fuck that pretty mouth of yours before bending you over that desk and fucking you?”

“Green.” It’s an easy answer - she’s been hoping he’d hurry up and do something like this for most of the day, at this point. “But is that really all you’ve got in store for me, kahuna?”

The gleam in Nanu’s eye grows as he tightens his fist in Kat’s hair.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he rumbles. “Now, open up for me.”

Kat smiles, and does as she’s instructed, eagerly anticipating the pleasure she knows Nanu is soon to bring her.

“I’ve been wanting you all day, you know,” she murmurs just before Nanu forces his cock deep in her throat - so deep, his top prods against the back of her throat, then goes a little further.

“I know,” Nanu grunts, holding her head in place while he begins to thrust in and out of her mouth. “I know you have, my poor Katla. You’ve been so patient - and I’m going to make you feel so good.”

If Kat could speak, she’d probably say something snarky about how she thought Nanu was going to punish her - but she can’t speak, not like this. So instead, she settles for focusing on breathing and smiling a little to herself, because if there’s one thing she knows, it’s that Nanu’s words are true. Punishment or no, he’s going to maker her feel very good, like he always does.

And she’s going to soak in every last minute of it.


End file.
